Partnership aims to strengthen food traceability, farmer empowerment and consumer trust; India Clean Food Summit planned for November
Ahmedabad : In a move aimed at promoting transparency and trust in India’s food ecosystem, Khetika Foundation and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the ‘Clean Food India 2030’ initiative.
The partnership seeks to address some of the growing challenges confronting India’s food sector, including food adulteration, excessive processing, limited traceability and declining consumer confidence in food products. The initiative aims to build a framework that supports clean, safe and transparent food systems while encouraging climate-resilient agricultural practices and greater farmer participation.
According to a joint statement, the collaboration will focus on strengthening farm-to-plate traceability, enhancing farmer capabilities, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing scalable models that can improve transparency across food supply chains.
A major milestone under the initiative will be the India Clean Food Summit 2026, scheduled for November, which is expected to bring together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, farmers and consumer advocates to discuss reforms and solutions for India’s food ecosystem.
The partnership also aims to promote research and knowledge creation on food systems, public policy and consumer behaviour. The objective is to create a platform where academia, industry, policymakers and civil society can work together on practical solutions to improve food quality, safety and transparency.
Speaking on the collaboration, Dr Prithwi Singh, Co-founder and CEO of Khetika, said challenges related to food quality and accessibility cannot be addressed by any single stakeholder alone.
“Building transparent and trustworthy food systems requires collective action involving farmers, consumers, researchers, policymakers and industry. This partnership is a step towards creating food systems that are traceable, fair and sustainable,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of the opportunity, industry estimates suggest that the global clean-label food market, valued at approximately USD 54.7 billion in 2024, could expand to USD 109.2 billion by 2033, driven by growing consumer awareness regarding health, food safety and transparency.
Prof. Ranjan Kumar Ghosh of IIM Ahmedabad said food adulteration remains one of India’s most significant but under-addressed public health and consumer protection challenges.
“Through Clean Food India 2030, we aim to combine research, stakeholder engagement and practical solutions to help create a transparent, traceable and consumer-centric food ecosystem,” he said.
About the Initiative
Khetika Foundation was established by the founders of Khetika, a clean-food-focused enterprise, with the objective of promoting awareness, transparency, research and collaboration across India’s food ecosystem. Through partnerships, community initiatives and evidence-based advocacy, the Foundation aims to encourage wider adoption of food purity, traceability and sustainable agricultural practices.
