Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) highlights the benefits of Palm Oil with Indian Consumers at Vizag, Vijayawada and Bangalore
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) organized a series of engaging Consumer Interactions which were chaired by eminent personalities from the fields of health and nutrition. The events were held on 16th November 2021 at The Gateway Hotel, Beach Road, Vizag, on 17th November 2021 at The Gateway Hotel, MG Road, Vijaywada and on 18th November 2021 at The Taj Hotel, MG Road, Bangalore. The theme of the consumer interactions was ‘Health and Nutritional Benefits of Palm Oil and Efforts taken by Malaysia towards Sustainability and sustainable Palm Oil’.
The interactions were attended by a variety of target consumers ranging from homemakers to chefs, entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts. Experts and specialists presented at the events and shared their knowledge on palm oil, its benefits and its application in our daily life, especially in food. Each of the events had over 200 people in attendance while conforming to social distancing norms in view of the pandemic. Audience members attested to walking away with a lot more information about the nutritional benefits of Palm Oil and also getting a much better understanding about the work done by Malaysia and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council to ensure sustainability.
Prof. Dr. Ketan Mehta, MD (Med), FCPS, FICP, FISE, FGSI, commenced the interactions with his perspective on how small changes in diet can make a huge difference. Bringing into the picture his experience as a practicing Cardiopulmonologist & Diabetologist at trusted hospitals across Mumbai, he reiterated his point across the interactions that it’s essential to make good choices as they can make a huge difference to the health of your heart. He also opined that Palm Oil is rich in Vitamin E and the absence of trans fat makes it a viable and appropriate choice for cooking in India where lifestyle diseases are on the rise. According to him, it’s rare for any other cooking oil to provide the nutritional balance that Palm Oil provides. “The human body requires many different nutrients to maintain a healthy balance. Most cooking oils will not contain all the required ingredients whereas Palm Oil provides a good balance of such nutrients”.
Presentations on the work carried out by the Malaysian Palm Oil industry and MPOC was undertaken by Ms. Bhavna Shah, MPOC’s Country Head of India, Bangladesh, Nepal & Sri Lanka. Ms. Shah provided the participants with information on Malaysian Palm Oil and its products. She also imparted information to the attendees on various technological and economic advantages and the environmental sustainability undertaken by Malaysia and MPOC.
Speaking at the interactions, Ms. Shah said, “It gives me immense pleasure to share details about Malaysian Palm Oil and the work undertaken by MPOC in providing a healthy and nutritional alternative to our consumers in the audience. The MPOC has been a leader in providing economic opportunities and also balancing our responsibility towards the environment. We also look forward to sharing the nutritional benefits of palm oil through such interactions in the future. Malaysia’s Palm Oil industry is over 100 years old and is built on trust among all stakeholders who have grown in number as this journey has progressed. We look forward to participants at this and future events building a mutually beneficial and collaborative relationship with Malaysia and the MPOC”.
The events were concluded with presentations by Dr. Meena Mehta, Associate Retired Professor in Food Science and Nutrition and a Senior Nutritionist. She cautioned that urban India’s diet was showing an emerging unhealthy trend and it is the likely link between the rise in cases of cardiovascular and other diseases. “Today we see the average age of patients is higher when it comes to the prevalence of life threatening diseases. Small changes in lifestyle can go a long way towards stepping back from long term damage.” Dr. Meena also engaged actively with participants on how food plays a major role in alleviating other lifestyle disorders and hence advocated for a healthy switch towards alternatives such as Palm Oil.