FSSAI in collaboration with Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP) propose to send food testing staff for Master’s Training programme in veterinary drug residue and antibiotics. The training will be held at the University of Maryland in the USA, the tentative dates for which are 10 to 14 April 2017. This training will help create Master Trainers, who will be able to train other food testing personnel working in Indian laboratories through training programmes organised by the FSSAI. In this regards the FSSAI has issued a notification dated 27 February 2017 in which the Food Authority has requested food testing laboratories to nominate personnel from their laboratories for Master Training programme.
The Master Training programme is open to food testing personnel from Central Government Institutes, State Government labs and FSSAI notified food laboratories. The names and application forms of the nominated personnel must reach the FSSAI by 3 March 2017. The FSSAI will then finalise the list of personnel selected for the training and will inform them in advance. The training expenses for the selected Central government institutes and state government laboratories personnel will be borne by GFSP but the private notified labs will need to bear the travel and living costs for their selected personnel. The nominating authority will also have to give an undertaking that their lab and infrastructure facility will be made available for conducting the ‘Training of the Trainers programme’ which will be conducted within three months of completion of the Master’s Training in the US.
The reason for undergoing Master’s Training in the field of veterinary drugs and antibiotics is very relevant in today’s scenario. Veterinary drugs and antibiotics are being increasingly used in animal husbandry to cure and prevent diseases and promote growth of animals. This has the potential to generate residues in animal derived foods like meat, milk, eggs and honey. Veterinary drug residues in foods are a health hazard for consumers. Technically qualified and trained personnel are therefore, required to monitor veterinary drug residues in foods. FSSAI in partnership with GFSP is organising the training programme so as to be able to detect veterinary residues in foods so consumers get safe food. The training programme will help create master trainers who, on completing their training, deliver training to Indian food scientists across the country.
Since the training programme will focus on “Methods of Determination of Veterinary Drug Residues in Food,” the prerequisite qualification criteria is that food testing personnel selected for the Master Training must have
- A working knowledge of LC/MS/MS for analysis of contaminants in food
- Some experience of veterinary drug analysis for banned and regulated drugs, quantitative and confirmatory methods and screening methods with respect to national or international standards.
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