Preamble The book aims at creating awareness in nutrition security management and the relation with traditional practices in food. It has also dealt with the progress made on the ways of Nutrition security and different aspects of traditional foods. It is the various plant and animal systems which are the reservoirs of fibre, proteins, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, lipids, flavourants and essential phyto-chemicals. The intake of balanced diet can provide nutrition security. Consumers around the world have been preparing food items for balanced diet which has a direct link towards good human health. Traditional foods have evolved endemically to various regions of the world depending on the local availability of food. These foods, depending on seasons, also vary. Over centuries, people have been working on to improve its taste, aroma and nutritional value. They have been also found to give immunity to the prevailing diseases in those regions. Even within a country like India, there are thousands of local foods being prepared in the kitchen. With globalisation and fast transport facilities, these foods have been carried to far off places and sold in restaurants as delicacies. Nutrition security plays an important role for good health and a strong immune system in order to fight the diseases. The book is very interesting in bridging the traditional foods and their use in nutritional security as it covers the coherence of food supply policies with respect to nutrition and food security. The book has been divided into 13 chapters covering various aspects including those flavouring agents, the principle behind the preparations of the foods, functions of these foods, nutritional value, fortification of foods and policy issues for Nutritional Security and the role of FAO and WHO. Importance of traditional Spices in Foods for Nutritional security has been written in a very comprehensive manner.

The human body consists of trillions of cells and to be healthy it needs variety of foods and nutrients. The food around the globe includes a variety of spices which have many health benefits. It has been found that spices and vegetables in the diet are very important for living healthy. The traditional foods, nuts, seeds, wild fruits and vegetables which are used in the diet are grown in specific areas. Traditional food system plays a significant role towards maintaining the well-being and the health of people in any specific region.

According to Indian Philosophy (Bhat, 2012) the physical body is called Annamaya Kosha.A body, when well nourished grows well by absorbing the energies from the food consumed. Fasting is another aspect of traditional food system. It is meant to purify the mind and the body.

We all eat food because it provides the nutrients that are needed for the various functions of the body. Energy is required for growth and repair of tissues, to maintain body temperature and for physical activity. Energy comes from foods which are rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fat. This provides energy to the body from other nutrients and helps to keep the skin and nervous system healthy. They help towards the various biological activity in the human body. These nutrients are grouped into carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fat), water, vitamins and minerals. These are used for growth, maintenance, repair and other needs of the body. Protective foods are which contain adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals and high-quality proteins which protect against the development of a deficiency disease. There are various chemical reactions taking place within each cell of a living organism. These provide energy for vital processes and for synthesizing new organic materials. This process is known as Metabolism. Living organisms get energy from the environment and use it for movement, growth, development and reproduction.

We get energy from food. We need energy for all the activities which we get by eating. The body structures as muscles, organs and bones are composed of the nutrients contained in food which are absorbed by the body. Nutritional requirement of the major nutrients Nutrients are the substances which are found in food and drive biological activity. They are essential for the human body. These are categorized into proteins, fats, carbohydrates (sugars, dietary fiber), vitamins and minerals (Sugishima, 2019). They perform the vital functions like building all parts of the body as muscle, bone, teeth and blood. Out of the 20 different kinds of amino acids that make up proteins nine are not synthesized in the body and are therefore called essential amino acids. These essential amino acids have to be supplemented through food. High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been found to be effective.Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Large part of hair and nails are made up of proteins. The human body uses protein to build and repair the tissues, helps in making enzymes hormones and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

To look into the nutritional security around the globe, FAO and WHO, have undertaken the analysis of policies. They have covered many issues which include; World Summit on Food Security, pillars of food security and availability, access, utilization, stability, effects of food insecurity, stunting and chronic nutritional deficiencies, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. There are many challenges to achieve food security. These include global water crisis, land degradation, climate change, agricultural diseases, food versus fuel, politics, food sovereignty, food wastes, risks to food security, population growth, fossil fuel dependence, homogeneity in the global food supply, price setting, land use change, global catastrophic risks, agricultural subsidies and role towards children.

Indian Spices: These are dried, fragrant, aromatic or pungent vegetables or plant substances. They can be whole, broken or in ground forms. Primary function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition and which contributes to the flavour and piquancy in foods and beverages. These have been used as food additives widely since ancient times [http://www.imedpub.com/articles/herbal-medicines-possible-risks-andbenefits.pdf,https://www.ncbinlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170500/pdf/nihms307509.pdf). They also exert digestive stimulant action of food enhancing the taste. A few medicinal properties of spices are as being a tonic, carminative, stomachic, diuretic and antispasmodic (Aboaba et al., 2011; Achi, 2006 and Adefegha et al., 2012). This has led for pharmacological applications in the indigenous systems of medicine as digestive stimulants and to relieve digestive disorders and makes the food more palatable. In many countries around the world these are grown and reared for the purpose of trade and distribution. In the ancient times the spice merchants have been the most popular traders. India is well known for spices with a wide variety of recipes that are laced with them.

With increasing food production, availability and accessibility the global agro-industrial food system has improved.However, malnutrition, biodiversity loss and climate change are newer challenges. The best solution to this is the utilization of indigenous and traditional crops which will bring a transformative change in the food system. There is a need to look into the development of smallholder producers. The agro-industrial food system has improved the food supply and has made way for significant trade-offs with agro-biodiversity, dietary diversity, environmental sustainability and socio-economic stability mainly amongst the rural poor. Now is the time to mainstream the underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into the food system. This will provide opportunities to develop a sustainable and healthy food system.It will also help towards the societal goals which include employment creation, wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

Food fortification is the procedure in which micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) are added to the food. As a public health policy fortification can be carried out by the food manufacturers or by the governments to help people in combatting dietary deficiencies within a population. Fortification can be done in food even if these nutrients are originally present or not. However, it improves the nutritional status of a population by overcoming the deficiencies of micronutrients. Deficiency of micronutrients is known as hidden hunger which is a serious health risk. Access to safe and nutritious food is a must.Due to the lack of consumption of a balanced diet, adequate micronutrients are not supplied to the body. Therefore, there is a considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food. One of the strategies to address this problem is fortification of food.

For Indian foods Food processing industries are the fastest growing in India. India is the largest producer of milk, bananas, mangoes, guavas, papaya, ginger and okra. It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, tea, sugarcane and cashew nut. It is the third largest producer of cereals, coconut, lettuce, chicory, nutmeg, mace, cardamom and pepper at the global level (Highlights of Agriculture Census, 2010-11, http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132799). Most part of the income is spent on foods. It is important to establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with global food processing, food retail and related supply chain organizations. This will in turn help in the realization of significant business growth opportunities in India, through newer technologies, innovations and ways of value additions. The geographical location of India helps in the export of items to other countries. It is connected to Europe, Middle East and Africa from the western coast and to Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand from the eastern coast. Food processing is a priority sector for the Indian Government, especially in recent times with “Make in India” initiative.The country is considered as one of the most favourable markets because of the easy and affordable credit and other fiscal incentives. The total consumption of food and beverages in India is US$ 369 billion which is expected to increase to US$1.142 trillion and the output in the food processing sector might increase to US$ 958 billion by 2025. This offers a vast market opportunity by the Indian food processing, food retail, transport, logistics and related infrastructure sectors to players in the food processing value chain. The market for plant and machinery in the food processing sector is estimated in the year 2024-25 to be USD 51.41 billion as compared to the current value of USD 17.3 billion (2016-17).

It has been found that at the household level the health of female members in any family suffers to a large extent. It could be encountered to low health care, poor housing or/and environmental conditions. Due to malnutrition it affects the health to such an extent that it gives rise to many diseases. For a sustainable nutritional status food and various aspects of health needs attention. Looking into that, nutrition is directly related to the health status. For food and nutrition security it is vital to see the availability, accessibility and utilization of food. The World Food Programme (WFP) developed the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) project to analyse the vulnerability to food insecurity of target populations. A prominent part of VAM is related to food access. The demographic and Health Survey (DHS), funded by USAID, provides health data for many countries to help them design their national policy. FAO has developed the Global Information Early Warning System (GIEWS), which collects data related to temporary food insecurity. Under the leadership of WHO, several health surveillance systems have been developed and implemented to monitor the epidemiology of various forms of malnutrition and of selected diseases. At the meso or sub-national level, food market surveys provide data on the availability of food. Agricultural production surveys, intra-household food frequency interviews, immunization surveys and anthropometric surveys of children under five can be used to assess the availability, accessibility and utilization of food and its stability at micro level. Most common Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) indicators at different social and administrative levels depends on the supply and demand. To determine the national situation of food availability data on the production of different food commodities, fertility rate and the trends in internal population needs to be seen. Food prices and per capita food consumption are indicators for national food accessibility. The rates of stunting, wasting and underweight in children, low Body Mass Index (BMI) in adults and low birth weight are FNS impact indicators that designate the extent to which food is adequately being used, utilized and converted into a satisfactory national nutrition situation. Fluctuations and shortages of food availability or accessibility in food prices make the national FNS unstable. Sensitive indicators for accessibility of food are the prices in the market. The sewage disposal and diarrheal diseases (DD) rates affect food utilization.A temporal food and nutrition insecurity arises due to pre and post harvest food availability and accessibility along with low BMI.If the food is in shortage leading to the consumption of more wild foods indicates reduced food availability at household level. Also if the number of meals per day goes down and unemployment increases it indicates low food accessibility.Malnutrition indicators like wasting, goitre or anaemia among the household members show reduced food utilization at micro level. Finally, changes in pre-harvest food consumption practices are good indicators for temporal food insecurity.

A number of innovations have taken place towards ready to eat instant food mixes of traditional origin. These have helped people to eat traditional food in which ever part of the world they go. MTR Company In India the best example is of MTR company which manufactures a range of packaged foods which includes breakfast mixes, ready to eat meals, masalas and spices, snacks and beverages. Snacks, such as kodubale, khara boondi and masala groundnut are very popular as they are ready to eat packets and contain healthy food with less oil. The different spices used for mixes are procured from famous countries which give the perfect taste and avoid rancidity.As a summer launch, milkshake with canned chikoo, banana and cold filter coffee are available. MTR Foods Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla and is an acronym of Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. According to the company, India is on the verge of explosive growth in packaged instant foods. MTR has an aim to target a market of Rs 30, 000 crore with their products of traditional meals, breakfast, snacks and desserts. The Nielsen India study has shown that in 2020, the number of consumers in this category will be 2.7 times than the current base. Mother’s Recipe is a brand which make traditional pickles in bottles with a distribution network to 20 states in India and exporting the products globally. The manufacturing is done in-house and the raw materials are procured seasonally in large quantities. After cleaning they are cut according to the recipe. Each variety of mango pickle has its own cutting process. Some are automatically cut, while others need manual work. The use of right oils, spices roasted inhouse, and marination of the pickles according to the practices of the particular region allow many consumers to relish them. Bottling and packaging are done only when the orders come.

Benjamin et al., (2016) have focused on the small-scale food processing enterprises (SSFPEs) as one of the important measures for national development and addressing food security challenges, particularly in Nigeria. The authors have explained the need for food processing as there has been tremendous food losses and wastages in the country. Enhancing the food processing and productivity for mechanization of food processing unit operations, development of new and existing technologies, design and development of machinery, systems for processing and preservation of different agricultural produce of high target have been undertaken. SSFPEs have played an important role in the economy of a developing country, particularly in terms of employment creation, income generation, post-harvest losses reduction, food preservation, value addition, improvement of food safety, nutritional quality, increase in shelf-life of a product and to act as training grounds for entrepreneurs before they invest in large scale enterprises. SSFPE’s around the world and especially in Nigeria are faced with significant challenges that compromise their ability to function and contribute optimally to the economy. Financial constraints and lack of management skills are the major constraints. It is important that governments and non-governmental organizations must encourage and facilitate the development of SSFPE’s. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO or GAIN in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. FAO’s Nutrition and Food Systems Division (ESN), in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) 2018,

A sustainable and healthy food system is one which can provide food and nutrition security for all, in an economical way which is socially and environmentally sound for future generations. Underutilized indigenous and traditional crops can support and strengthen the existing food system, as they are in particular economical and friendly with the environment. Several underutilized indigenous and traditional crops are nutrient dense and adapted to marginal conditions, suggesting that they could be used to champion sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems for smallholder farmers residing in these environments. The mainstreaming of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops and foods should be recognized for their attributes to make them desirable and to conserve them. In this regard, the fact that value chains for underutilized indigenous and traditional crops are poorly developed at present has created many opportunities to diversify the current food systems. This will create a new employment, market and distribution opportunities.It will also help to combat poverty. It will be if the smallholder farmers and women in rural areas are given the opportunity to utilize underutilized indigenous and traditional crops and re-enter the manistream system. A significant role which is played by the women for the production and conservation of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops offers opportunities for women empowerment through their inclusion in the food system. Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women is directly linked for strengthening the sustainable food systems that can fight hunger and malnutrition and improve the lives and livelihoods of rural populations. The mainstreaming of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into the food system would support women to diversify in a sustainable way, feed their own households and to provide nutritious food into the local markets. This will also help in addressing, the Sustainable

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