She said the festival would promote healthy food, healthy lifestyles and support local producers, while fostering social linkages across regions and providing visitors with a unique culinary, cultural, educational and entertaining experience.

The Nucleus Foundation is organising the festival with financial assistance from the USAID and UNICEF supported by the Ministries of Agriculture, Education and Health while Scaling Up Nutrition Peoples Forum (SUN PF), the good Market, Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Food Program, Save the Children, Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association and World Vision will join as event partners.

Government agencies, international development agencies, civil society organisations and the private sector will come together, during the festival, to address the need for improved health and healthy lifestyle choices.

At the two-day event, visitors will be able to get advice on nutrition free-of-charge, check their body mass index, learn to cook nutritious meals, learn about innovative approaches to nutrition and meet northern food suppliers.