Kerala - Kochi   

Food safety is the buzzword

QUALITY CONCERNS: Food safety has become the focus of industry and consumers alike worldwide

Food safety is the buzzword for the food processing industry as well as the quality assurance managers worldwide.

With the country all set to have a comprehensive Food Safety Act, food safety has once again come into focus.

The Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Point (HACCP) has become the norm for seafood processing units in the country following the insistence of the United States' Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the European Union (E.U.).

When it comes to food safety and HACCP, the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) is the final word in the country.

The role of the Institute in pioneering the concepts of HACCP and spreading the message of food safety was rightly acknowledged by the E.U. when it imposed a ban on import of seafood from the country.

What prompted the E.U. in clamping a ban on import from India in 1997 was the reported detection of some pathogens in some consignments of seafood.

The Institute was identified as the nodal agency to ensure safety of seafood by the introduction of HACCP by the European Union. Since then, the Institute had been instrumental in imparting training to the industry and thus enhancing the food safety parameters in the country.

In an attempt to make the message of food safety reach wider audience, the institute has come up with a short film on HACCP.

The film, brought out by the Quality Assurance and Management division of the Institute, elaborates on the need for the introduction of the HACCP and the benefits it would create in the areas of public health and food safety.

M.K. Mukundan, the Head of the Quality Assurance and Management division, have jointly directed the film.

The application of HACCP in harvest techniques of seafood to its landing centres, transportation, processing, storage and final transport to foreign market has been dealt in detail in the 20-minute-long film. The film will be appreciated for its informational value.

K.S. S.

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