IIP to design model for packing mid-day meals
   
Chennai,Jul 9,2012 : To find an efficient way of packing mid-day meals meant for distribution to school children by various state governments, Indian Institute of Packaging under the Commerce Ministry is doing research to arrive at a model that would keep food warm and hygienic.
   
The research is being carried out the IIP's Mumbai facility, IIP Director and Principal Executive Officer N C Saha told reporters here. "We are researching on the packaging of mid-day meals which are distributed to school children by state governments across the country. Since the food is made in one place and are distributed to places around, we thought of coming up with a effective packaging so that the food remains hygienic and warm as it reaches the child," he said.
   
Asked whether the Centre or the state government had requested the research, he said: "None has approached us yet. Since mid-day meals was one of the 20 points in the Prime Minister's list, we are doing the research in collaboration with IIT in Mumbai." The institute was also conducting research on the mechanism for packing tender coconut and meat.
    
Food Processing Ministry saw an immense potential in tender coconut business both domestic and for exports and they were doing research on its request, he said, adding, the institute was helping Agriculture Processed Food Export Development Authority by research on packaging meat. IIP was also looking at jute and bamboo as an alternative for wood in packaging, since both are "natural fibre" and good for packaging, he said.