OAR@ICRISATCOVID-19 calls for renewed focus on eating right and naturalA KPadheeauthorJKane-PotakaauthorIndia has achieved significant poverty reduction in the last couple of years and the middle-class has burgeoned considerably. A World Economic Forum research and consumer survey predicted that by 2030, India will no longer be an economy led by the bottom of the pyramid, but by the middle-class. It stated that 80 per cent of Indian households will be middle-income and will drive 75 per cent of consumer spending. There is need to boost our immune systems, especially in the wake of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Medicines can’t fix our immune systems; our lifestyle and what we eat will only help. Several new initiatives such as Eat Right and Smart Food have enhanced demand for healthier and nutritious foods. India is a nutri-basket of nutri-dense plant-based foods. We need to ensure these are safe, accessible and affordable to all. Even before the present pandemic, demand for natural and organic products in India was on the rise. Availability of organic food stuff and products grown under natural systems (of agriculture) has increased manifold. This is manifested by very steep growth in market share of natural (and ayurvedic) products and a corresponding alignment to the trend by competing with multinational companies. The general observation is that the aspirational consumers are going back to nature and natural products to live healthier and longer.Smart FoodsMilletsSustainable AgricultureFood and NutritionValue Chains2020-05DownToEarthArticle

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