Food processing machinery encompasses a diverse category of equipment needed to process vegetables, meat products, marine goods and other food items. A representative list of food items that come under the category of processed foods is given below:

• Fruits and vegetable products
  
  
• Oil seeds for edible oil
  
  
• Grain and associated items
  
  
• Meat and poultry
  
  
• Aquaculture products
  
  
• Consumer products such as beverages including fermentation industry items and confectionery
  
  
• Milk and milk products

Policy Initiative: Since liberalization, quite a few policy measures have been taken regarding regulation and control, fiscal policy, taxation, exchange, export, import, export promotion, interest rate control and provision of incentives to high priority industries. Food processing and agro industries have been given a high priority status and have received many relieves and incentives.

Regulation and control is a vital policy initiative. No industrial license is needed for almost all food and agro processing industries with the exception of a few items such as beer, potable alcohol, wines, cane sugar, hydrogenated animal fats, oils and items reserved for exclusive manufacture in the small-scale sector. Items reserved for small scale industries include pickles, chutneys, bread, confectionery, rapeseed, mustard, sesame oils, groundnut oils, ground and processed spices, sweetened cashew nut products, tapioca sago and tapioca flour.

The government has established a NICNET based Information and Facilitation Centre at Panchsheel Bhavan in New Delhi to provide information about food processing to the general public. This centre guides people through printed materials and computer printouts on topics such as production, import, safety, environment, distribution and consumption of processed foods.

An online suggestion or complaint box is available at the Ministry of Food Processing Industries website. Application forms related to the setting up of food processing infrastructural and manufacturing facilities, research and development projects, training centres and exhibitions may be downloaded here.