Nafed launches fortified rice bran oil to boost healthy living

Sudhanshu Pandey, secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) on 15 June 2021 eLaunched Nafed fortified rice bran oil. On this occasion, Pandey said, "This initiative by Nafed will significantly reduce the country's consumption dependence on imported edible oil in the future. In addition, this will provide opportunities for Indian edible oil manufacturers further, and also will give an impetus to the Prime Minister's Aatmnirbhar Bharat initiative."

Arun Singhal, chief executive officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Sanjeev Kumar Chaddha, managing director, Nafed and Atish Chandra, chairman, and managing director, Food Corporation of India (FCI), were also present at the eLaunch. On this occasion, Chandra informed that recently an MoU has been signed between Nafed and FCI for the production and marketing of fortified rice kernel. As a result, the Rice bran oil will be marketed by Nafed (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India).

According to Chaddha, this initiative will provide easy access to Nafed branded high-quality rice bran oil, which will help boost the indigenous oil manufacturing industry.

Studies claim that rice bran oil has multiple health benefits, including lowering cholesterol levels due to low trans-fat content and high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat contents. According to the press note, this oil is recommended by The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the best substitutes for other edible oils. Rice bran oil from Nafed will be fortified, and it will be ensured that it will contain additional nutrients and vitamins. According to the FSSAI, fortified oil can help a person fulfill 25-30% of the recommended dietary intake for vitamins A and D. Nafed fortified rice bran oil will be available at all Nafed Stores and also on various online platforms.