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The National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) held Hack the Fork, India's first AI x Food Tech hackathon, a 24-hour challenge on alternative proteins that ended on 25 October 2026.
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Why is it in the news?
- On 25 October 2026 PIB reported that NIFTEM-K, under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, organised Hack the Fork, described as India's first AI x Food Tech hackathon.
- The challenge aimed to use artificial intelligence on real problems of the alternative protein industry.
What are the key facts?
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | Hack the Fork, India's first AI x Food Tech hackathon |
| Organiser | NIFTEM-K with the French non-profit Hack the Fork |
| Duration | 24 hours, 24 to 25 October 2026 |
| Teams applied | More than 85 |
| Teams shortlisted | 25 |
| Teams in the institute | 22 teams from 10 states, over 90 participants |
| Prizes | Rs 1.5 lakh and incubation at NIFTEM-K |
| Ministry | Food Processing Industries |
What is the static link?
- Food processing is a sunrise sector linked to farm income, food security, exports and reduced food loss.
- The challenge covered plant-based food innovation, fermentation techniques and wider food systems, with focus on nutrition, food safety, sustainable production and lower food waste.
- Mentors came from the Good Food Institute India, IIIT Sonepat and the University of Delhi, and the event was coordinated by Dr Vimal Pant, CEO of NTIBIF.
- Teams came from IITs, IIITs and the University of Delhi, showing how institutions link academia and startups.
What is the Uttar Pradesh angle?
The release does not name any Uttar Pradesh team or institution, so none is mentioned. The link to Uttar Pradesh is through agriculture and food processing: the state is a large producer of crops and milk, and its food processing policy, ODOP products and farm produce chains can gain from new food technology and startups. This helps GS-VI agriculture and science and technology answers.
Memory trick
Hack the Fork: Hack for protein, Fork for food, 24 hours, one first for India.
Likely confusions
- A hackathon is not an exhibition; teams compete in a time-limited problem-solving challenge.
- NIFTEM-K at Kundli is not the same as NIFTEM-T; the release concerns the Kundli institute.
- Alternative protein is not only plant-based food; it also includes fermentation-based methods.
Key Terms
- Hackathon
- A time-bound event where teams build solutions to a set problem.
- Alternative protein
- Protein sources other than conventional animal products, such as plant-based and fermentation-based foods.
- Fermentation technology
- Use of microbes to make food ingredients.
- Incubation
- Support to a startup with mentoring, space and networks.
- NIFTEM-K
- Institute of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries at Kundli.
UPPSC syllabus: GS-III, GS-VI
FAQs
Who organised Hack the Fork?
NIFTEM-K organised it with the French non-profit initiative Hack the Fork.
Sources: NIFTEM-K hosts India's first AI x Food Tech hackathon Hack the Fork (PIB)
Last verified: 2026-10-27
