FMCG firm Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) is planning to join hands with the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) to unlock the full potential of millets as a healthier and more sustainable alternative to traditional grains.
TCPL and IIMR will be signing an MoU to strengthen innovation, enhance consumer experience, and make this ancient Indian grain more mainstream, said a joint statement.
The Tata Group firm is the parent company of Soulfull brand, which has a portfolio of millet-based products for kids and adults.
"The MoU will help combine the R&D expertise of the two entities and help TCP to strengthen the product portfolio in the area of millets, develop more value-added formats for consumers and make millets available to many more consumers across India," it said.
TCPL has identified pantry and the mini-meals segments as some of the key areas of focus in its growth strategy.
Commenting on the development, TCPL Managing Director & CEO Sunil D’Souza said UN''s declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets is a very positive initiative to promote millets as a healthy and sustainable diet option.
"India is one of the largest producers of millets and we are happy to associate with IIMR to unlock the potential of millets. This partnership will help strengthen our innovation agenda, making the benefits of millets more mainstream and widely available to consumers in a variety of convenient and modern formats,” he added.
Director ICAR–IIMR Vilas A Tonapi said: "This MoU will help us further spread awareness on the nutrition and sustainability benefits of millets and make it widely available in formats that integrate with people''s lifestyles, so that they become a key part of the Indian diet."
Soulfull became a 100 per cent subsidiary of TCPL in February 2021. It offers a range of healthy snacks and breakfast cereals like Ragi Bites and Millet Muesli, as well as plant-based protein drinks .
