Newly launched millet food finder shows a revolution is underway - Agriculture Post

Hyderabad, India: Millets have sometimes been hailed as the next quinoa but researchers collating a global database of millet products have found this ancient grain to be orchestrating a silent food revolution that could see quinoa outstripped. The "Millet Finder", launched today, discovered a surge in the use of millets, with over a thousand modern convenient products in a very wide range, across all the inhabited continents. Launched today at FoodTec Expo by the International Crops Research Institute of the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), the "Millet Finder" will help users find over 500 products across 30 countries. Another 500 products are identified and set to be included and mapped by end of the year by the Smart Food team at ICRISAT, who created the database and will continue growing it. "Unless there is a consumer driven demand and movement to diversify diets, farms cannot diversify and agriculture cannot be sustainable. By diversifying staples, we can have a major impact on diets, farms and the environment. ICRISAT strongly believes in creating awareness and helping consumers make informed choices while keeping their health and the environment in view. In that respect, millets check every box," said Dr Jacqueline d'Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT, and Chair, Smart Food Executive Council.