Tata Trusts, Mars ink deal to elevate agri development, food safety in India

Tata Trusts and global food major Mars, Inc have signed an MoU to work for advanced agriculture development, address malnutrition and improve food safety in India.
The two will also develop methods and tools to increase crop productivity, farm income and sustainability of select agriculture commodities. They will also work on the availability of safe, affordable, and sustainable raw materials from India, Tata Trusts and Mars, Inc. said in a joint statement.
“Given Mars’ global leadership in nutritive foods and sustainable agriculture, the Tata Trusts believes this collaboration will have lasting, meaningful benefits for Indian communities. We are particularly inspired by Mars Food’s commitment to addressing malnutrition in India – a challenge of growing concern in this country, particularly among children,” Chairman of the Tata Trusts Ratan Tata said.
Tata Trusts is a coalition of philanthropic trusts headquartered in India, which include Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and NavajbhaiRatan Tata Trust, working to improve quality of life of the communities it serves in India.
“Mars Food, a segment of Mars, Incorporated, also intends to conduct joint research with the Tata Trusts on nutritional guidelines that can help address anemia and other forms of malnutrition,” the statement said.
Along with that, the two also plan to collaborate on reducing Aflatoxin contamination in India’s supply chain. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring, poisonous chemical produced by certain molds – is a critical food safety issue in India.
Mars has expertise in addressing Aflatoxin contamination and can draw on its Global Food Safety Center in China to conduct future research in this area, the statement said.
US-based Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business and has over USD 33 billion in sales from six diverse business segments – petcare, chocolate, wrigley, food, drinks and symbioscience. It owns global brands as M&M’S, Pedigree, Doublemint and Uncle Ben.