Introduction to Food, Nutrition and Food Processing

Nutrition and food are, in fact, a vital social factor and the health of women and their children determines to significant extent the health and future prosperity of community and country. Nutritional value in farm products and the induction of many processed foods into the family diet in towns and cities, especially in view of the assurance carried by quality control and a strictly implemented legal regime in this respect, have brought about sea changes in the approach to food habits and thus nutrition and food value. The demand for packaged and processed foods is bound to increase. Processed chicken and meat products and fish including fish pickle are eaten with relish in most parts of the country. Milk and fruit juices are essential items in the Indian menu, both in urban and rural areas. Agro-industrial development is an important part of Indian planning. In this context, the following collections of papers, articles and extracts provide a much-needed basic introduction to food, nutrition and food-processing in the country. The selected dictionary on various aspects of food processing will be especially useful to both the student and the teacher of the subject.