True Elements represents India for Millets in Europe at the first global outreach for International Year of Millets (IYOM) in 2023
17 February 2023, Belgium: India’s first Clean Label and 100% Whole Grain certified food brand, True Elements, was invited to represent India at the first-ever global outreach event for Millets by the Government of India – the Saveurs & Métiers Expo – held in Belgium in January 2023.
2023 has been earmarked as the International Year of Millets (IYOM) by the UN with the objective of promoting millets as the next supergrain globally. Naturally gluten-free, environmentally sustainable, and loaded with health benefits, Millets have taken center-stage for the Government of India (GOI), with Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi amplifying this mandate across manufacturer, consumer, and enabler cohorts alike. Participation at the three-day Saveurs & Métiers Expo, hosted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA, Government of India) and the Embassy of India to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union (EU), marked the first global outreach for IYOM. At the expo, Ambassador Santosh Jha (Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU) inaugurated the India Pavilion and welcomed European businesses to sample Indian millet products and build a pathway to their retail presence in European retail stores.
Smt. Vinita Sudhanshu, Deputy General Manager, APEDA, Government of India said, “This expo in Belgium was the first-of-its-kind event, marking the beginning of the International Year of Millets 2023. Since India is leading the resurgence of this ancient super-grain, it was important for us to show the world how we are bringing millets and driving innovation within the packaged food category. Start-ups and disruptors like True Elements are showing the world the novel uses of millets by driving innovation in millets through their products like Jowar Poha, Millet Chikki, and Cereal Biscuits. It was heartening to see the wave of positive responses and appreciation coming their way because of these innovations.”True Elements has been at the forefront of delivering taste and health via Millets for the last 4 years and was honoured with the ‘Best Startup Award’ by the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) – Government of India. Recently, the brand also won the Forbes D2C Disruptor Award – Brand of the Year (Sustainability) for its work with Millets.
Sreejith Moolayil, Co-founder & COO of True Elements, said, “There exists plenty of curiosity and intrigue around Millets in India and the world now – in fact, these super-grains have already begun to lead the sustainable nutrition conversation internationally. True Elements has been driving millet-based food innovations since 2019, and we’re glad our range saw global appreciation. We will continue innovating to deliver a larger range without compromising on taste and health benefits.”At this global forum, which saw participation from large corporations, key retailers and notable manufacturers from Europe, True Elements was accoladed for its range of over 35 innovative millet-based products which were suited to the global palate, met global accreditations and kept the brand’s promise of providing 100% taste with 0% jargon, 0% chemical, 0% preservatives or 0% added sugar.
Ved Agarwal, Head of Marketing of True Elements, mentioned, “What truly summarised the event for us was Ambassador Santosh Jha’s immediate reaction as he took a bite of our Jowar Poha and said- ‘Wow. This is brilliant”. This, along with a meaningful pool of global leads and engagement with export partners who want to take Millets to Europe together with True Elements, made this outreach a success for us.”Meanwhile, closer home, True Elements also participated in the Millets and Organics International Trade Fair, one of the largest fairs organized by the Department of Agriculture and KAPPEC,
Government of Karnataka in Bengaluru, where they demonstrated the versatility of their millet-
based offerings and were appreciated for the same.
