The Bel Group produces popular cheese brands like The Laughing Cow, Kiri, Babybel, Boursin, and Nourish and is also a significant player in the healthy snacking market.

Britannia Industries, which makes biscuits and dairy goods, has formed a joint venture with Bel SA of France and Britannia Dairy Private Limited (BDPL) to create, manufacture, and distribute cheese products in India and other countries.

According to the Economic Times (ET), Bel SA will acquire a 49 percent stake in Britannia’s wholly-owned subsidiary Britannia Dairy Private Limited (BDPL) as part of the joint venture and inject an additional Rs 215 crore into the experience.

According to the reports, the company would change its name to Britannia Bel Foods Private Limited.

The executive vice-chairman and managing director of Britannia Industries, Varun Berry, told ET that the collaboration would open up new opportunities for consumers to enjoy cheese. By partnering with Bel Group, Britannia will supply India with cheeses of world caliber.

BDPL, a Britannia and Bel joint venture in India, will operate a cheese factory in that country. Furthermore, the business stated in a regulatory filing that as part of the JV, BDPL would award equity shares to Britannia and Bel in line with the provisions of the share subscription agreement entered into by Britannia, Bel, and BDPL.

After the arrangement is finalized, Britannia will continue to hold 51% of BDPL, and Bel SA will possess the remaining 49%. At present, BDPL is engaged in the business of marketing, trading, and selling cheese products. BDPL’s revenue of Rs 340 crore in FY 2021-22 represents roughly 2.4% of Britannia Industries’ total revenue.

This JV will manufacture cheese products at a brand-new, state-of-the-art plant in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra. Products will use both the Britannia and The Laughing Cow logos on the packaging.

The joint venture chief executive will be Abhishek Sinha, who formerly served as CBO of the dairy division.

According to Berry, the cheese market is underserved, but the two companies’ collaboration will change that.

“This strategic alliance with Britannia in India is a new step for Bel Group’s development in Asia,” stated Cecile Beloit, CEO of BEL Group. In India, where we have been operating in “startup mode” for the past four years, we plan to increase our pace.

Amul, Britannia, Mother Dairy, and Govardhan dominate India’s roughly Rs 4,000 cr cheese market.

Britannia’s overall net profit increased by 28 percent year over year, reaching Rs 490 crore for the quarter ending in September 2022. The company that bakes Good Day and Nutrichoice biscuits had a 21 percent growth in consolidated revenue from operations, to Rs 4,379.61 crore, in the most recent quarter compared to the same period a year ago.

Food is an essential part of any country’s history and culture. Many family recipes get passed down from one generation to the next or, sadly, get lost over time. Because of globalization and the fast growth of the internet, we have learned about many exciting recipes and ways to cook from all over the world. Recently, we saw how bread is made in Iceland using the heat from hot springs. The list of intangible cultural heritage from UNESCO is another list that collects and honors some of the world’s best food traditions and recipes. 

What is the UNESCO list of intangible cultural treasures? 

The coveted UNESCO World Heritage label is often given to cities and places worldwide. But what does food have to do with it? The Intangible Cultural Heritage list is another one made by UNESCO. This list includes foods, drinks, and cultures from around the world to help people learn more about these great food cultures.

Countries send their requests and nominations to UNESCO. Then, an intergovernmental committee, which was set up to protect the intangible cultural heritage, chooses who gets on the list. According to the UNESCO website, “The Committee meets annually to evaluate nominations proposed by States Parties to the 2003 Convention and decide whether or not to include these cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage on the Convention’s Lists.”

On UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage are well-known foods from around the world.

UNESCO puts out a list of traditions from different countries every year. Whether it’s the way tea is made in China or baguettes are made in France, this great list has a lot of great food. Even though it doesn’t cover everything, it gives a small look into the vast history of food worldwide. So, if you love food and want to try all the great dishes and traditions from around the world, this list will be beneficial.

Here are the top nine most-requested foods on the UNESCO list: 

1. Baguette The oblong French bread, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2022, is one of the most popular foods in the country. Even though it looks like something everyone knows, it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to make. The outside of the bread is crunchy, but the inside is soft, and it is used every day in many different recipes. The UNESCO honor came at a good time since the number of traditional baguette bakeries is decreasing. 

2. Kimchi Korean food has become very popular, but in 2015, the traditional art of making kimchi was recognized. This fermented vegetable dish is a must-have at any Asian restaurant. It tastes a little bit sour and spicy. Every Korean home has its way of making kimchi, and the recipes are usually given to close family members so they can continue the tradition. Kimchi-making is a tradition called “Kimjang,” which is thought to bring the whole community together. 

3. Neapolitan Pizza Who doesn’t love a doughy slice of pizza with tangy marinara sauce and the best toppings? Pizzaiolo, the art of making Neapolitan pizza, began in Naples, Italy. UNESCO has recognized this remarkable process, which includes making the dough, shaping the pizza traditionally, and cooking it in a wood-fired oven. Neapolitan pizza requires a lot of knowledge and skill that can only be learned after years of careful study and working in a “bottega.”

4. Courgette

Couscous has come a long way since it was first made in Africa. In 2020, it will be recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage food. The process of making this simple dish is not only careful and detailed, but it is also a party in and of itself. After the cereal seeds are found, they are ground, rolled by hand, steamed, and cooked. The result is a grainy dish that can be cooked and served with meat, vegetables, or anything else you like. Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Morocco are all places that have kept the art of making couscous alive. 

5. Belgian Beer 

In 2016, Belgium’s beer culture was put on the list of things that are important to UNESCO. The country makes thousands of different kinds of beer, which are used not just for special events but also in everyday cooking. Those who have mastered the art of making beer teach beginners and other beer business owners how to do it.

6. Harissa Sauce 

Harissa is another food from Tunisia that was just added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List for 2022. It is a spice or paste made from hot and spicy peppers. It is made in a way that is similar to how we make Indian achaar. The peppers are dried in the sun, cut in half, the seeds are taken out, and then they are washed. After they have been ground into a paste, salt, garlic, and coriander are used to season them. The harissa can then be kept and used when cooking. 

7. Coffee from Arabia

 Many people think drinking coffee started in the Middle East. That’s why it wasn’t surprising that UNESCO put it on its list as early as 2015. Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar still make coffee the way they did in the past. Roasted Arabic coffee beans are ground into 

powder with a mortar and pestle. The powder is then heated on the ground in a copper vessel over a fire. Serving Arabic coffee to guests has been done for a long time in the area.

8. Lavash

There are many ways to make bread worldwide, but lavash is an integral part of the culture of Armenia. It was put on the UNESCO list in 2014 and back on the list in 2016 as part of a culture of making flatbread. Simple bread only has two ingredients, but it is an integral part of events like weddings and birthdays. 9. Chinese Tea: The way Chinese people make tea has been around for hundreds of years and will be added to the UNESCO list in 2022. Tea, tea farms, and sharing tea are all essential parts of Chinese culture. In China, there are mostly six types of tea: white, oolong, green, yellow, dark, and black. These six types can be made into more than 2,000 different types of tea. Tea is an integral part of many ceremonies, including weddings.

As was already said, this list is incomplete, and the UN body has also recognized a lot of other foods. The well-known Hawker market in Singapore and the Mediterranean diet are also on the list. We hope that some Indian foods and traditions will also get the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage label soon.

On Friday, Niti Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer said that increasing production and exports of processed commodities is crucial for the Indian economy and creating jobs. Speaking at a CII seminar, Iyer said that the food processing industry is critical to the well-being of the economy and the people and that the MSME sector should be encouraged to enter this field.
He emphasized that food processing can increase farmers’ revenue and contribute to meeting dietary requirements.
Iyer argued that increasing production at the agricultural level, or basic processing, is essential.
He said the government had taken several measures to ensure food security because of the increased importance of this issue in the current international setting.
The CEO of Niti Aayog noted that agricultural production has increased over the past few years.
Iyer said that the government had taken several actions related to food processing, such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program.
He said, “This is a very, very important government program that is actually aiming to incentivize investment, but production is vital to strategic industries like food processing.”
The CEO of Niti Aayog announced that the millennium year would begin in less than a month.
To that end, he advocated for a greater emphasis on millet, a food that is both healthy and provides several additional benefits.
It has been pointed out by Iyer that agricultural planting patterns and the methods used to produce food have undergone significant shifts.
When asked about the economy and employment, he said, “But food processing is an important area.”
Iyer argued that the food processing industry should include the MSME sector because it creates the most jobs.
He argued that India should increase its “already-occurring” export of food processing goods.
As Iyer pointed out, food arrives from all over the world via extensive and convoluted supply networks.
It’s a whole, intricate ecosystem all on its own, he said, mentioning everything from animal husbandry to agriculture to fisheries to storage to transportation to distribution to retail.
Thus, Iyer claimed, it requires concrete and targeted actions to flourish.
Iyer said that he thinks there should be an effort to decrease food waste through industrial processing, which he found to be a concern.
“On the one hand, we produce food, and on the other side, there is a lot of wastage, and there are millions of people internationally, who are chronically undernourished,” he said.
Iyer noted that food systems exacerbate the destruction of natural environments.
“So, there are some major difficulties, which, of course, you will be addressing,” he said to the food manufacturing firms.
The CEO of NITI Aayog asked for industry input to eliminate roadblocks and release the sector’s full potential.
In his speech, Iyer emphasized the importance of bolstering primary processing at the farm level and discussed the importance of backward linkage from the food processing industry.
“Again, that’s a significant obstacle because it affects many industries, government agencies, and biomes. How can process steps like sorting, grading, packaging, and drying be more efficient? “Inquired him.
He also noted the importance of this in ascending the value chain.
Iyer argued that enabling distributed primary processing was critical to creating the infrastructure to process large-scale high-value data.
Increases in farmer income are a top government priority, and he pointed out that expanding the food processing ecosystem will help with that goal.
“As a result, on the one hand, it will facilitate increased revenue maximization.” However, it will undoubtedly aid in our efforts to improve our diets.
Iyer remarked, “Nutrition is critical from a health point of view, particularly for children below five, and we have a long way to go.”
There has been a lot of progress, but he stressed the importance of ensuring people access healthy food.
Iyer emphasized the importance of providing farmers with financial incentives to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices.
Food safety was mentioned, and he suggested that India is lagging behind other countries in this regard.
He said that scaling up sustainable food processing systems can benefit significantly from the use of technology, especially digital technology.
In addition, Iyer detailed the various plans for boosting millet’s profile over the coming 12 months.

The federal subsidies that make up one-tenth of the overall government expenditure have ballooned due to increased international gas prices and a free food scheme; therefore, the country has budgeted for a higher outlay.

On Friday, people who are familiar with the matter stated that the Center’s subsidies on fertilizers and food are set to hit a record level of nearly 5.6 lakh crore in the fiscal year ending March 2023, which would be an overshoot of the earlier estimate by a third. However, it is likely that an expected uptick in government revenues will ensure that the situation remains well within the fiscal comfort zone.

Federal subsidies, which comprise a tenth of the overall government expenditure, have ballooned due to increased international gas prices and a free food scheme. The country has budgeted for a more considerable outlay. For the third year, the government is forecast to incur subsidizing costs above its goal.

This is projected to be compensated by higher-than-anticipated tax receipts. In November, former revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj said that tax collections in 2022–23 might be almost 4 lakh crore higher than the budget estimate.

Costs associated with fertilizer subsidies are predicted to exceed 2.5 lakh crore, which is far more than the 1.05 lakh crore allotted in the budget. The Indian government imports various crop nutrients and sells them at a reduced price to its many millions of farmers.

The rising cost of liquefied natural gas, used in producing fertilizers like urea, significantly contributes to this year’s record subsidy. The price paid by farmers for a 45-kilogram bag of urea is $242, while the production cost is $2,650. As a subsidy, the government covers the difference for fertilizer companies.

In response to rising international costs, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved an additional 51,875 crore subsidy for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilizers on November 2.

With this change, the Center’s nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) scheme, which regulates the cost of agricultural nutrients, will be more affordable. About half of India’s annual food output comes from winter-sown crops, such as wheat, lentils, legumes, millets, vegetables, and oilseeds like mustard, grown by India’s farmers.

As part of its NBS policy, the government provides a yearly, per-kilogram subsidy for nitrate (N), phosphate (P), potassium (K), and sulfate (S)-based crop nutrients (S).
The government’s expected full-year (2022-23) fertilizer subsidy outlay of 2.5 lakh crore includes the latest installment for the winter-sown season (October-March). Additionally, the subsidy for P&K fertilizers is significantly greater than the Rs 28,655 crore allocated in the previous season, mainly due to increased international costs.

The Fertilizer Association of India reports that in 2021–22, yearly consumption of fertilizers in India increased to 32.54 million metric tons from 29.37 million metric tons in the previous fiscal year, a growth of 10.8 percent.

Due mainly to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a free foodgrain scheme introduced after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government’s food subsidy cost is expected to exceed Rs 3 lakh crore.

According to a Cabinet note, the ‘s entire cost from its inception in 2014 through December 2022 is estimated to be 3.9be Rs.lakh billion. According to a government official, the total for October through December 2022 is Rs 4,762 crore.

The restaurant proprietor, Mohit, explained to ANI, “We were not prepared for such a large turnout yesterday, but the event was successful.” We were only anticipating 300 to 400 consumers, but within three days, our post went viral and became recognized worldwide. It is a rather unconventional method of advertising. As a result, we carried out the promotion using the offer of 5 paisa. We gave away free thalis to the first fifty clients who purchased five paise coins, and if they had more than one thousand consumers, we gave them a fifty percent discount on their thalis. It was a tremendous amount of success. You can eat as much as you like from this unlimited thali, which features 35 different dishes representing Gujarati, Rajasthani, and North Indian cuisines.”

Only one day was available to take advantage of the promotion.

According to Deepti, who is a co-owner of the restaurant Rajbhog, “The primary justification for the offer was that the thali that we serve over here is of Rajasthani, Gujarati, and North Indian origin, but since Vijaywada is home to a sizeable population of South Indians, we conceived of the idea to extend our customer base to include those from South India.” Therefore, yesterday we offered a discount of 5 paisa. We served the first fifty people at no cost, and after that, we supplied them at a discount of fifty percent of the normal price. Although the normal price of thali is 420, we could accommodate more than 1,000 people yesterday by offering it at a rate of 210. The primary idea behind this offer was that yesterday we had a convention in a room on the ground floor that goes by the moniker “Mandap.” As a result, we intended to stock Mandap with the aforementioned culinary offerings to demonstrate to patrons that our establishment provides this particular fare category.”

There is no one more deserving of celebration than the bride and groom, but the wedding is also a significant event for their loved ones. At Indian weddings, guests and hosts mingle over delicious cuisine and celebratory toasts. It is traditional for the reception to have a spectacular buffet or meal. The wedding feast can include any delectable delicacies depending on where you live in the country. A recent Bihar University student decided to crash a local wedding, pretending to be a guest to eat for free. The following events will have you in fits of laughter.

The student posted a video of himself, identified as Alok Yadav, on Instagram Reels. Over 1.5 million people have seen it, and 167,700 have liked it in just 48 hours, making it a viral sensation. The growth rate is exponential. The video showed Yadav seated on the stage with the groom at the wedding. He says he crashed the groom’s wedding for free food. “We’re checking out, so we’ll stay at the hostel.” Humain aa gaye yaha pe khane. because I lived in a hostel and was hungry. “No products were manufactured at that location,” he explains. He then asks the groom if he has any objections, to which the latter responds that he does not.

The student from Bihar then offers his best wishes to the groom on his upcoming nuptials and future travels. “That’s why we’re here—to let you know that we’re so happy to hear from you. Please allow me to break the news to you all at once: I was going to gatecrash the wedding for some food, but I realized I should probably tell you first.

“Best wishes on your wedding day!” exclaimed the forthright student. Funny enough, the groom responds by saying, “Apne hostel ke liye bhi khana lete jana” (take some food for your hostel, too).

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CljG4SzjlK6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This student’s hilarious and relatable video has gone viral. In the opinion of some, this is a common problem among hostel-dwelling students. One commenter said, “Students aisa hi karte hain, begani shadi me abdulla diwana,” while another asked, “Confidence dekh rahe ho?” (Are you seeing his confidence?) Dulha sochta hoga ek baar video puri hone do fir batata hu was repeated by a few others.