Hubballi’s Akshaya Patra kitchen gets overhauled

Hubballi: The Akshaya Patra Foundation, renowned for its commitment to eradicating hunger and promoting education through its mid-day meal programmes, took a significant leap forward by upgrading its kitchen infrastructure. As Asia's largest kitchen dedicated to this noble cause, the foundation introduced state-of-the-art equipment to enhance its operational efficiency and meal quality.

The recent upgrade included the installation of eight double-jacketed steam-operated sambar cauldrons. These advanced cauldrons are designed to ensure uniform cooking, preserving the nutritional value and authentic taste. The double-jacketed feature allows for even heat distribution, reducing the risk of burning and ensuring that the food is cooked to perfection every time.

In addition to the sambar cauldrons, the kitchen now has ten steam-operated rice cauldrons. These cauldrons are capable of cooking large quantities of rice with efficiency, meeting the demands of thousands of children who rely on these meals. The steam operation ensures that the rice is cooked evenly, maintaining its texture and flavour, which is crucial for palatability of the meals.

A modern HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system has also been installed to maintain optimal kitchen conditions. This system not only ensures a comfortable working environment for the staff, but also plays a critical role in maintaining food safety standards by controlling the temperature and air quality in the kitchen.

Furthermore, the introduction of a gas-operated curry machine marks a significant advancement in the kitchen. This machine allows for efficient cooking of curries, ensuring consistency in taste and quality. Biogas is generated from regular kitchen waste of 200 to 300 kg.

Ramgopal Dasa, secretary of Iskcon, Hubballi, said that these upgrades reflect the Akshaya Patra Foundation's dedication to leveraging technology and innovation to enhance its service delivery. By introducing modern infrastructure, the foundation is better equipped to meet the growing demand for nutritious meals, thereby supporting health and education of the children in the district.

The Microfinish group provided new cauldrons manufactured in India to the centralised kitchen in Hubballi, under its CSR initiative. Dasa added that every day 13 tonnes of rice, 3 tonnes of dal, 8 tonnes of vegetables, and 1,600 kg of oil are used for cooking food for over 1,30,000 students. The rice is cleaned and stored using two silo machines of 160 tonnes capacity each.

There are 140 members in the cooking team. 50,000 chapatis are prepared using two chapati-making machines. The Food Safety Quality Control Laboratory tests the materials used to cook. The kitchen in Hubballi has a large built-up area of three floors. The third floor is used for cleaning and cooking preparations, the second floor for cooking, and the ground floor for packing and dispatching food.



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