Despite increasing vigilance by companies in the Indian Food industry, there have been cases where food scares have been a result of misplaced emphasis on the presentation rather than on compliance to hygiene and safety. T?V S?D has played a key role in helping companies in the food industry build confidence with their customer markets by guiding them through a customised approach to quality and safety. Mr. Pankaj Jaiminy, Head of Food Services for T?V S?D South Asia, will be speaking on the best quality practices and the existing requirements for comprehensive testing and certification solutions in the food industry, at the International Summit on Food Processing & Agribusiness organized by the ASSOCHAM on 28th July, 2009.
?Food safety does not happen by accident, hazards do. Preparation of safe food requires that one must follow certain systems and procedures throughout the entire process. We have seen cases where compliance rate for pest control measures and personal hygiene practices has been as low as 8% and 22% respectively. Although, it is noteworthy that food presentation and regulatory compliance has been the highest at 72% & 76% respectively. This indicates that manufacturers and retailers are resorting to making food seem safe by making it more presentable while the quality of the kitchen languishes with low safety compliance rates,? says Mr. Jaiminy.
Although the Indian food processing covers nearly 70%? of output in terms of volume, it is still an unorganized sector. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) initiative of declaring 2008-09 as ?Food Safety and Quality Year? has been a positive step. Implementation of systems such as HACCP, GMP, SQF, BRC and ISO 22000 will help in reducing risk of product failure and potential hazards while ensuring reduction in wastage. Nearly 40%? of the raw materials are wasted at the time of processing due to older processing technology.
T?V S?D experts will also be providing information on food testing, inspection and the certification process as well as a broad range of services at the ASSOCHAM International Summit on Food Processing & Agribusiness from July 28th to 29th, 2009 (The Oberoi Ballroom, Booth 13).