New Delhi [India], November 25 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar on Thursday flagged off Food Safety Awareness vehicles and unveiled a book on the History of Food and another cookbook on curated recipes that uses minimal salts.

The 'National Low Salt Cooking Challenge Report' was also released.

"Visitedreviewed functioning of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi, a nodal food safety and regulatory authorityflagged off the Food Safety on Wheels, bringing technology to check food adulteration at our doorsteps," Pawar said in a tweet.

The MoS inspected the technical capabilities of Mobile Food Testing Vans called "Food Safety on Wheels". These vans are equipped with State-of-the-Art equipment to detect adulteration in submitted food items. The Minister flagged off several of these vans to supplement the food safety ecosystem across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar observed that food is an essential component of health in a holistic sense. "Balanced nutrition is an integral part of Health," she stated.

She also emphasized that the citizens are a stakeholder for food safety along with government and industry. Pawar applauded the action taken by the organization along with industry partners to take the country forward in Food Safety.

She reviewed the functions of FSSAI with regards to provisions of the recent Food Safety Act. She was apprised of specific instances of adulteration that have been de-penalised from imprisonment to fines and strengthening of provisions to punish instances of wilful adulteration using harmful substances. The view that regulations should benefit the wide section of consumers along with India's vibrant food manufacturing sector was espoused.

She also took a tour of the FSSAI gallery that displays India's food ecosystem in an interactive fashion.

The MoS also released various innovative books and initiatives by FSSAI including the book 'History and Food' that traces the history of commonly cooked and consumed foods in India. The cookbook 'Eat Right with Low Salt' with curated recipes that use minimal salt was also unveiled by her along with the 'National Low Salt Cooking Challenge Report.'Dr Pawar observed that with the onset of globalization and consumerism, there should be more awareness regarding the ingredients of the food we are consuming. "Mothers and Grandmothers played a key role in the food choices and nutrition of our earlier generation. There is now a pressing need to educate the next generation on food choices," she said. (ANI)