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Nutritious food mascots Master & Ms Sehat launched at FoSTaC programme
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Saturday, 23 September, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Prashant Nikale, Mumbai
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Safe and nutritious food mascots Master and Miss Sehat were unveiled by Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner, Konkan region, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra, who inaugurated the Food Safety Training and Certificate (FoSTaC) programme, which took place at Thane’s Viviana Mall recently. It was organised by Envirocare Labs, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) training partner, and supported by the state FDA.
The other dignitaries present at the session were P Muthumaran, director (west region), FSSAI; Krishna Dabhade, assistant commissioner, FDA, Thane; Nilesh Amritkar, managing director, Envirocare Labs; Yogita Salunkhe, senior executive, Envirocare Labs, Deepa Sudesh, executive assistant, Envirocare Labs, and Sunil Shroff, chief executive officer, Viviana Mall.
This was the first time in India that a mall was the venue for a programme of this kind, and it was attended by 30 representatives of food business operators (FBOs). Dabhade and Salunkhe started proceedings, with the former giving a general introduction to food safety.
The programme included such topics as raw materials and associated hazards, food spoilage, location, layout, equipment and containers, food operations and controls, sanitation and maintenance, personal hygiene, consumer awareness, etc.
Dabhade said, “We Indians are blessed with diversity, especially in food cultures. Every community here has different food habits. FDA and FSSAI are authorities who keep these food cultures safe with their regulations.”
“We work on food safety from farm to fork. The training programme is a part of our activities. It will ensure that the participants get all the basics of food safety norms and have the responsibility to train their co-workers in a similar manner,” he added.
Stating that food safety supervisors were a must for every FBO, Dabhade added, “The mascot is a part of our food safety initiative, through which we will reach out to at least 20 lakh people by the end of the year.”
“A mascot is something that attracts children, who will help us reach the elders with their talkative nature and naughtiness,” he said.
Muthumaran gave a presentation on the food safety initiatives taken by the country’s apex food regulator, encouraged the participants and appreciated them for taking part in the programme.
“The food chain is a very complex set-up. Everyone who is involved in this process, from farm to fork, should be aware about the value of safe and nutritious food. If a consumer wants to consume safe food, he first ought to know what safe food is. That is what the FSSAI initiative is for,” he added.
Shroff said, “The mall strives to provide high-quality and hygienic food to its patrons and employees. We aim to proactively make our food establishments FSSAI-compliant even before the certification becomes mandatory.”
“Even if one supervisor in a food chain is FSSAI-certified, the skills can be passed on to the other employees. This shall help food businesses to gain more trust from customers and deepen the brand connect,” he added.
Amritkar proposed the vote of thanks on behalf of both his organisation and Viviana Mall.
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