Key Takeaways
- NIFTEM-K celebrated World Food Safety Day 2025 with workshops focused on food safety education for street food vendors and small businesses.
- Participants learned essential hygiene practices and were introduced to rapid adulteration testing kits for various food items.
- The event emphasized the need for grassroots initiatives and collaboration to enhance food safety standards in the community.
Food Safety Education Initiatives Launched
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), concluded its two-day observance of World Food Safety Day 2025, themed ‘Food Safety: Science in Action.’ In partnership with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the event aimed to enhance food safety awareness through hands-on workshops for street food vendors and small business operators in Delhi NCR and Sonipat.
Over 100 participants engaged in educational programs covering critical hygiene practices, including personal sanitation and safe food handling. They were informed about necessary licensing and compliance requirements, which are essential for running credible food businesses. A highlight was the live demonstration of rapid adulteration testing kits developed by NIFTEM-K for analyzing milk products, spices, and tea. Parcipants were awarded certificates, emphasizing their vital role in maintaining food safety.
Dr. Harinder Singh Oberoi, Director of NIFTEM-K, highlighted the essential role of food vendors in public health. He urged attendees to adopt best practices and proposed potential joint training initiatives with FSSAI for select street vendors to become community role models. This could drastically improve hygiene and food safety standards among local vendors.
Ankeshwar Mishra, Joint Director (Training) at FSSAI, praised NIFTEM-K’s commitment to food safety education, while Mukul Gupta, National Resource Person (FoSTaC), led interactive training sessions covering various food safety topics, emphasizing proper handwashing, pest control, and food storage.
Dr. Oberoi insisted on integrating scientific approaches into public health policy and everyday practices, warning of possible future public health crises stemming from foodborne illnesses. He advocated for the inclusion of food safety in school curricula and proposed developing stainless steel food carts and low-cost rapid testing kits. He also called for establishing a dedicated Centre for food safety and authenticity at NIFTEM-K to conduct advanced research on foodborne pathogens.
Expert speakers provided additional insights; Dr. Iddya Karunasagar from NITTE University stressed that risk management must encompass good practices throughout the food chain, while Dr. Rajan Sharma from ICAR-NDRI presented rapid detection kits for milk safety, emphasizing their importance in perishable goods. Professor Afrozul Haq addressed the relationship between food safety and vitamin consumption, and Rakesh Kumar from the Tea Board highlighted concerns about contaminants in tea processing, commending NIFTEM-K’s development of detection kits for pesticides and artificial colors.
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