The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management has entered into a coordination partnership by signing Memorandum of Understanding with three organizations; Institute of Food Safety and Health (ISFH), a US based organization along with two others – National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), at a conference hosted by the institute.
The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Govt. of India. The institute has the world class infrastructure and is catering to various stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, food processing industry, exporters, policy makers, government and existing institutions.
NIFTEM is actively involved in the knowledge sharing, providing assistance in setting up the food standards. NIFTEM is coordinating for the food technology and food management and is working towards providing an excellence in the field of skill development and encouraging & building SME sector.
MoUs were signed as part of the commitment by NIFTEM towards ensuring better food for the people. The subject of the event was “The international conference on Emerging Food Safety Risks: Challenges for Developing Countries – 2014”. The objective of the conference was to discuss the challenges by the food quality and food safety due to the globalization of the food trade and the risks arising out of food illnesses.
The secretary of MoFPI emphasized the need for the industry specific research. Mr. K. Chandramouli, the chairman of FSSAI was also present at the event, stressed the need for the involvement of all stakeholders. Dr. Ajit Kumar who is the vice-chancellor of NIFTEM said that the collaborations with different bodies will expand the horizons in capacity-building and partnerships with ISFH, NDRI, IARI will further facilitate the knowledge sharing and research through student and faculty exchange.
The industry today needs innovations in the field of food technology & management in order to ensure safety of the people as epidemics like SARS, Bird Flu etc have taken many lives in the past and they pose serious threat to humans. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and food contamination by Heavy Metals, Pesticide Residues, Food Pathogens etc are some of the common concerns with the people involved in the business of food.
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