FSSAI in collaboration with Global Food Safety Partnership is organising a training programme in Singapore between 30 November 2016 and 13 December 2016 to train master trainers for Food Testing staff in India. This programme is also partnered by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
This is a pilot training programme that will help create a set of master trainers in the country who in turn will deliver training to other food testing personnel in India. This training programme will focus on residue analysis and Mycotoxins.
The FSSAI has requested Food Safety Commissioners, Referral Laboratories as well as some FSSAI notified laboratories to nominate one laboratory personnel from their labs to apply for the training programme. The FSSAI has also provided the prescribed application form on which the personnel nominated to attend the training programme will apply. The last date for filling the application is 4 November 2016.
The participants selected for the training will be finalised by the FSSAI and the selected participants will be informed at the earliest by FSSAI. On completion of their training programme in Singapore, these Master-trainers would then be extensively utilised to train other laboratory personnel across India.
The training programme is open for FSSAI notified Central and State government laboratories and some private FSSAI notified food laboratories. The FSSAI will meet the travel, boarding and lodging, TA/DA and other associated cost of the participants of the Central and State government laboratories. However, the private labs will have to meet the travel, living and other associated costs of sending their personnel for the training programme to Singapore.
The Rationale for this Food Safety Testing programme
- This will enable laboratory personnel to provide quantitative data for risk assessment which is the basis for regulations
- Enforcement for regulations which is only possible when non-compliance can be demonstrated by test results
- Monitor the changes of the risk which may be due to new practices or new threats to the food safety system such as environmental disasters or economic fraud
- For food businesses the role of testing is meant to open trade markets and maintain the trust of trade partners
- Laboratory testing is a quality control activity that is part of a quality assurance plan
3 year training plan for India
The objective of the training programme for India is to ‘train the trainer’ which will focus on laboratory capacity building for food safety in India. This will work to support the development of a sustainable training programme in India. It will give rise to a network of instructors residing in India. The instructors will be up-to-date on instrumentation and methods and would be capable of supporting decision making and documentation of standards and practices in laboratory testing for food safety in India.
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