Mysore, June 22, 2013: More than one tonne of easy-to-prepare instant food, rich in calorific value, will be prepared by the Mysore-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) and despatched to Uttarakhand for the flood victims.

Harsha Vardhan Batra, Director, DFRL, toldThe Hindu the R&D organisation has started procuring the raw materials and the preparation will commence by late Friday or early Saturday. The first consignment is expected to be ready for delivery by Wednesday. “The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has sent us a requisition to despatch wholesome, instant and ready-to-eat food products for the affected citizens,” said Dr. Batra. Additional quantities would be prepared if required, he added.

Though DFRL is a research institution and does not have the wherewithal for mass production of food, Dr. Batra said infrastructure used for demonstration for entrepreneurs and for training will be used for producing the required quantity.

While the initial requisition is for one tonne and will mainly comprise sooji halwa, instant vegetable pulav and instant upma, the DFRL plans to include chapatis and dal in the second batch given the dietary preference of north Indians. The material, on reconstitution with boiling water, will be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 tonnes and will help serve thousands of people. Dr. Batra said the DFRL will not require additional staff for the mass production of food which is purely a temporary exercise to cater to an emergency and the existing staff will work overtime to meet the demands.

The food packets will be packed in bulk and each packet will weigh a kg and on reconstitution with water will be around 3 kg, he added.

The DFRL was established in 1961 to develop food products for the country’s defence forces including the paramilitary forces like the CRPF and the ITBF. The food technology developed for the armed forces ensures that the required calorific values are met while the ration packs are light to carry and are in a ready-to-eat format with a long shelf life. It has also developed a technology where in the food inside the packet heats up when exposed to the atmosphere due to exothermic reaction. This is exclusively for soldiers who can savour instant hot and edible food at freezing temperatures like the Siachen Glacier where cooking is impossible.

Dr. Batra said the DFRL had supplied rations for the Antarctica expedition, mountaineering squads to Kanchenjunga, Nandadevi, Mount Everest and the Indo-Soviet Space Mission. It also provided assistance during calamities such as the Orissa super cyclone, the Latur earthquake, flash floods at Leh, and the 2004 tsunami, he added.

Meanwhile, a scientist at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) said it has already approached the government which has asked it to hold back the assistance for now. “During the Gujarat earthquake we had dispatched tonnes of ready-to-eat energy bars and our staff are mentally geared up to meet the challenge if requested”, the scientist added.