Millets and fortified food

Have you eaten jowar, bajra, ragi or sanwa (barnyard millet)? These small grains are called millets. They are native crops of India, and they grow easily in many different climates. Millets have been part of the Indian diet for centuries, and they are popular again because they are so good for health.

Millets are rich in vitamins, in minerals like iron and calcium (ragi has a lot of calcium), and in dietary fibre. That is why they are also called nutri-cereals: cereals full of nutrients. They add a lot to a balanced diet.

Find the odd one out: jowar, bajra, ragi, chana. Jowar, bajra and ragi are millets. Chana is a pulse, not a millet. So chana is the odd one out.

Packaged foods must show on the cover which nutrients they contain, and how much of each. Sometimes extra nutrients are added to a food while it is being processed, to make it more nutritious. This is called fortification. Iodised salt and some baby foods are fortified foods.

In India, a government agency called the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) checks and regulates the quality of food.