The first of the initiatives under technical research in nutrition is the Mumbai Maternal Nutrition Project/ Project SARAS, a research partnership between the Medical Research Council, University of Southampton, UK, SNEHA – India (Society for the Natal Effects of Health in Adults), and the Centre for the Study of Social Change, Mumbai. Based in urban slums in Mumbai, the project is carrying out a randomised controlled trial to test the hypothesis that enhancing the micronutrient quality of women’s diets, from preconception and throughout pregnancy, using locally available foods in the form of a supplement, will improve maternal micronutrient status, increase fetal survival and growth, and reduce low birth weight. Among the innovative features of the study is the emphasis on pre-pregnancy nutritional status and the use of food, rather than pharmaceutical supplements.