India’s 1st Food Museum Launched in Thanjavur - All You Need to Know

India’s 1st Food Museum Launched: FCI – the Food Corporation of India, as a novel initiative has launched India’s India’s First Food Museum in Tamil Nadu. The Museum has been set up at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, which is also the cultural capital of the state. The FCI Food Musem has been setup to digitally exhibit the foodgrain production scenario in India and across the globe also to also highlight the challenges with regards to Food Storage. 

The museum has been established by FCI in association with Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), Bengaluru. The museum has been setup at a cost of about ₹1.1 crore. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System Mr Piyush Goyal, inaugurated the museum through video conference. He was joined by FCI Chairman and Managing Director Atish Chandra for the ceremony.

Discover the Journey of 'अन्न' in Our Lives!

Do visit the Food Museum whenever you travel next to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu to explore the evolution of our food habits & get a glimpse of:

📜 History of Foragers

🌾Food Storage

🚚 Last mile Distribution

🏪 Operations of FCI pic.twitter.com/uDX1szRRfc

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) November 15, 2021

Why Food Museum is set up in Thanjavur?

The location for India’s 1st Food Museum was finalized as Thanjavur because of its historical significance for the FCI. In a way, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is the birthplace for FCI as its first office was opened here on 14th January 1965. The Museum has been developed on the premises of FCI Divisional Office at Nirmala Nagar in Thanjavur. Today, after 56 years, India’s Food Museum has been set up here to commemorate the role played by FCI in ensuring food security in the country. 

About India’s First Food Museum

FCI’s Food Museum set up at Thanjavur showcases several themes and evolution of agricultural food practices in the country. Some of the important themes and points about FCI’s Food Museum are as follows:

• History of Foragers: The museum showcases evolution of agricultural systems for human race; right from the time of nomadic hunter gatherers to settled agricultural producers and farmers, which led to beginning of civilizations. 
• Food Storage: The Food Museum also showcases different types of food storage methods that have been developed and used over the year, both in India as well as across the world. It also exhibits the foodgrain production scenario in India and across the globe and the challenges in storage as part of the showcase at the Museum.
• Last mile Distribution: Another important aspect that is showcased at the Food Museum includes journey of the foodgrain from the farm to the consumers’ plate and the role played by FCI in it.  
• Operations of FCI: Through Digital presentation, the Food Museum also showcases a host of technological features employed by FCI to streamline agricultural production and distribution network. The Museum exhibits various technologies such as projection mapping, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), touch screen kiosk, proximity and touch sensors and virtual reality system.