ICRISAT organizes NNF–FWGA Project Inception and Stakeholder Workshop

ICRISAT in partnership with the Fortified Whole Grain Alliance (FWGA), convened the Project Inception for ‘Advancing whole grain processing technologies and improving consumer acceptability of whole grain foods’ at its Hyderabad headquarters on 28 April 2026.

May 1, 2026

The project, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), is being jointly implemented by the Fortified Whole Grain Alliance and ICRISAT. This workshop builds on an earlier NNF stakeholder consultation held in Delhi on 12 February 2026.

Mr David Kamau, representing FWGA leadership, presented an overview of the three-year project (2026–2028), which spans Uganda, Ethiopia, and India. He outlined the broader global strategy, the school feeding model, and the specific focus areas for India, highlighting an ambitious goal of reaching 12 million children by 2029 in low- and middle-income countries.

“The Fortified Whole Grain Alliance strategy is to introduce Fortified Whole Grains and blends as part of school meals to help address the double burden of Malnutrition.

Initially, the focus was on shifting the consumption of the big three grains – Maize, Wheat and Rice from their refined formats to Fortified Whole Grains.

Now, we are looking at opportunity crops including millets, sorghum, and pulses for inclusion in school feeding programs. We are happy to partner with ICRISAT, which brings a great deal of experience in working with Millets, Sorghum and pulses,” said Mr David Kamau.

In his inaugural address, Director General, ICRISAT, Dr Himanshu Pathak, underscored the importance of biofortified whole grains in advancing nutrition security. He noted:

“Taste evolves. It is cultivated from childhood."

"The palatability for the whole grains must be nurtured from school age. This project is unique and important because it seeks to introduce millets and legumes at the school level. A child can become an advocate for these nutritious grains.”

The stakeholder engagement workshop brought together representatives from research organizations, government departments, regulatory bodies, and industry partners including CFTRI, IIMR, GAIN, FSSAI, NIN, AOAC, Ushodaya Enterprises (Priya Foods), Akshaya Patra Foundation, WorldVeg, HarvestPlus, UNICEF and the Tribal Welfare Department, Government of Telangana, to deliberate on bridging gaps in existing programs, aligning with national priorities, securing institutional buy-in, and strengthening pathways for scale-up.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General - Research and Innovation, highlighted the transformative potential of the initiative:

“It is a real opportunity for us to see the front end of connecting agriculture to food, nutrition, and health. It is unique because it is nutrition-first by design.

We are looking at integrating nutrient-dense, climate-resilient crops, local economic opportunity and entrepreneurial opportunity in local communities. We are glad to be part of it.”

Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, Global Research Program Director – Transforming Agrifood Systems, highlighted ICRISAT’s strengths in school feeding initiatives including menu development, testing, measurement, and validation.

Moderated by Dr Nedumaran, Principal Scientist and Dr Roopa Banerjee, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT, the stakeholder consultation sessions examined the current landscape of fortified whole grain initiatives in India and identified critical gaps across the value chain.

Key concerns included the disconnect between calorie delivery and actual nutrition outcomes, persistent micronutrient deficiencies alongside rising obesity despite improvements in height and weight, supply-side challenges such as inefficiencies in millet processing and food safety standards, as well as skill gaps and barriers to consumer adoption.

The discussions brought out some of the key strategic dilemmas in scaling such interventions:

Centralized models vs decentralized vs community-led approaches
The issue of the “missing middle” where increase in production does not translate into improved nutrition and health outcomes
Choosing the right delivery pathways, including ready-to-eat foods, hot cooked meals, with chemical fortification or on a biofortified platform, along with robust supply chains

The workshop laid a strong foundation for the consortium to collaborate effectively on the Evidence-to-Policy-to-Action model.

Dr Roopa Banerjee summarized the way forward, thanked stakeholders for their valuable insights, and underscored the importance of a more integrated, systems-driven approach for the pilot in Telangana. Dr Dinesh Kumar Chauhan, Head – Agribusiness, Innovation and Nutrition Platform, ICRISAT, delivered the vote of thanks and emphasized on the need for greater investment in processing technologies, stronger grassroots delivery systems, and enhanced nutrition literacy.