President Murmu to commemorate Akshaya Patra’s 5 billion meals as foundation marks 25 years | India News
As the Akshay Patra Foundation prepares to serve its 5 billionth meal with the President on March 17 Draupadi Murmu Commemorating the milestone, the moment marks an important chapter in one of the largest school feeding programs in the world What started with just 1,500 meals served from the ISKCON temple in Bengaluru in 2000 has grown into a nationwide initiative that now feeds more than 2.35 million children every day. In this conversation, Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Founder-Chairman of the Akshay Patra Foundation, discusses the organization’s 25-year journey and its work to support school nutrition programs across India. He reflected on the partnership with the government under the PM POSHAN programme, the role of technology in large-scale food operations and initiatives such as the Morning Nutrition Program that seek to strengthen the link between nutrition, education and long-term child development.1. With Draupadi Murmu Akshay Patra Foundation is all set to serve its 5 billionth meal on March 17, how significant is this milestone for the organization and the impact it has achieved so far?The milestone of 5 billion meals is a profound moment not just for Akshay Patra, but for India. When we started in 2000, cooking 1,500 meals at the ISKCON Bangalore temple, we could not have imagined where we would be 25 years later. As we complete 25 years of serving children, each of the 5 billion meals we’ve served represents our commitment to a world where no child has to choose between food and education; Instead, they have the best of both.It is our honor to commemorate this landmark milestone with the President of India, Draupadi Murmu Ji as our Chief Guest. His presence is a strong confirmation that ensuring the nutrition and well-being of India’s children is a national priority. The 5 billion meal milestone is proof of what’s possible when compassion meets promise.We are also grateful to the Education Minister, Dharmendra PradhanFor agreeing to be our guest of honor for this event.2. The Foundation has recently introduced Morning Nutrition Plan. What gap does this initiative aim to address and how widely has it been implemented so far?The morning nutrition program is consistent with our commitment to ensure that no child misses out on education because of hunger. We have noticed that many children come to school hungry. By implementing the program, we strive to address the nutritional deficiencies of today’s mornings.A child who starts the school day nourished is one who can truly make the most of educational opportunities. The Morning Nutrition Plan is our commitment to making this a reality. We are currently implementing the morning nutrition program in six states, reaching 8 lakh children, and working to scale this initiative to many more places.3. With millions of meals prepared daily, what processes are in place to ensure food safety, nutritional balance and quality control at each stage?At Akshay Patra, we combine scale with systems that ensure high standards of hygiene, consistency and efficiency. Automation is a key component with machinery such as rice washers, dal cooking systems, vegetable cutters and chapati making machines that minimize manual handling and enable large quantities of food to be prepared with the same quality.We operate under strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that govern procurement, storage, preparation and packaging. Raw materials are quality checked on arrival and food safety protocols are followed throughout the cooking process. Regular internal audits and monitoring help maintain compliance with hygiene and nutritional standards.Technology-enabled monitoring systems help track production, material usage and daily food requirements, ensuring operational efficiency and reducing wastage. In addition, scientifically designed menus ensure that dishes meet nutritional guidelines while reflecting local tastes.Finally, a streamlined logistics system, supported by specially designed food delivery vehicles, ensures that freshly prepared food reaches schools on time and maintains quality and safety.4. The organization works closely with several State Governments under the Mid-Day Meal Programme. How does this partnership shape your operation on the ground?Our partnership with the Government of India and state governments is the cornerstone of what we do. Under the visionary leadership of our Prime Minister, Narendra ModiThe PM POSHAN program continues to strengthen the link between nutrition and education.As an implementing partner of PM POSHAN, the partnership gives us a significant portion of the funds needed to reach, mandate and operate. The government provides us with policy frameworks, maps schools and supports food contribution. We bring operational models, technology, trained workforce and additional funding raised from corporate partners and private donors. So the government provides policy, grants and support in other key areas, while Akshay Patra focuses on large-scale food production, supply and quality assurance. Shared commitment is what allows us to plan, invest and manage with confidence.
5. As the conversations around nutrition and education become more interconnected, how does Akshay Patra see the role of supporting children’s holistic development beyond addressing hunger?A hungry child cannot concentrate, absorb and certainly cannot aspire. A healthy child is more likely to attend school regularly and focus better on learning. When we provide a meal, we don’t just address hunger. We are creating the conditions for learning and growth… to envision a child’s future.And for the girl child, the effect is intergenerational. A nourished, educated girl makes a nourished, educated family. In that sense our work is not only about food. It’s about human potential.We design and implement initiatives that go beyond food to support the holistic development of children. These include the Giving Every Dream a Chance initiative, which advises children to pursue their fields of interest, and the Scholarship Program, which provides financial assistance to students for higher education.6. Over the past 25 years, the organization has expanded significantly. What were some of the key milestones or changes that helped accelerate this growth?Several milestones stand out in our 25-year journey.The first was in 2003, when the Government of India took the landmark decision to invite NGOs as implementing partners of the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme. It laid the groundwork for us to perform at levels we could not have achieved independently.Our partnership with state governments has enabled the program to expand across geographies and reach children in different parts of the country. These partnerships are focused on adapting our operations to local needs while maintaining consistency in food quality and delivery.Another important driver of growth is technology and operational innovation. The development of large-scale, technology-enabled kitchens and robust supply chain systems has allowed us to efficiently, safely and quantitatively serve nutritious meals, helping us reach more children each year.Support from corporate partners and private donors has also played a vital role in our journey. Their contributions have enabled kitchen infrastructure development, operational expansion and program innovation, strengthening the public-private partnership model that underpins our work.Akshay Patra’s work was recognized through awards such as the Gandhi Peace Prize, National Award for Child Welfare, Nikkei Asia Awardand the BBC Global Food Champion Award, among others 1. Our systems and processes have become case studies at leading universities such as Harvard University, Stanford University and London Business School. We celebrated our milestone of 4 billion meals in 2024 at UN headquarters in New York. We are fortunate to have the President with us to celebrate the milestone of 5 billion meals and 25 years on March 17. Enthusiasm or recognition of such prominent leaders has been significantly strengthened with national and international awards and recognition.Such instances have increased visibility for the cause of school feeding, strengthened stakeholder confidence and enabled us to strengthen partnerships and reach more children over time.7. Technology and innovation have become central to the growth of large-scale social enterprises. How does Akshay Patra integrate these elements into its kitchen and supply chain systems?Technology and innovation play a key role in enabling us to deliver food at scale with efficiency and consistency. Every day, our kitchens prepare meals for 2.35 million children with precision and consistency, ensuring nutritional standards are met in every meal. Our semi-automatic kitchen uses large rice and dal kadai and high-capacity roti making machines, which enable us to prepare large quantities of food efficiently while maintaining hygiene and consistency. At Logistics, we use route optimization and fleet management tools to ensure on-time delivery to thousands of schools.Our mission is to serve every child with the same quality and care every day. Technology and innovation help us make this possible.8. Looking ahead, what are the foundation’s priorities for the next phase of growth, both in India and potentially on the global stage?We strive to reach more children and strengthen nutrition delivery. To this end, we intend to design and implement initiatives to complement the mid-day meal programme. For example, the morning nutrition program ensures that children start the school day nourished and ready to learn. Likewise, school revitalization programs create safe and healthy spaces where children can eat their meals. We will continue to strengthen partnerships with government, institutional and philanthropic supporters to sustain and expand the program’s reach.We aim to support broader efforts to address classroom hunger and improve access to education globally through knowledge sharing and collaborative partnerships. In 2024, we collaborated with Food4Education, a Kenya-based non-profit, as a knowledge partner to share insights into kitchen operations and scaling strategies. We will build such partnerships and share our working learning and scalable models with other countries to explore large-scale school feeding initiatives.Inspired by the success of Akshay Patra, the World Food Movement was launched last year to take the idea of large-scale nutrition programs beyond India. The initiative aims to support students and communities worldwide so that children can learn with power and communities can thrive with dignity.References: Disclaimer – The above content is non-edited, and TIL hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating thereto and does not warrant or necessarily endorse any content.
