Strengthening Food Safety: NIFTEM-K organizes a month long hands-on training programme for Meghalaya Food Lab Officials
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), an Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, in collaboration with AKD Consultant Pvt. Ltd., is organizing one month training programme on “Analysis of safety parameters (Heavy Metals, Mycotoxins, Pesticides, and Microbiology) in Food Commodities.” This training is being conducted for technical officials from BRDC, State Food Testing Laboratory, Meghalya. The one-month training programme is scheduled from 20th November 2024 to 19th December 2024 at the Centre for Food Research and Analysis (CFRA), NIFTEM-K. CFRA, NIFTEM-K is a FSSAI notified Primary and Referral lab.
The training programme was inaugurated on 20th November 2024 by Dr. Komal Chauhan, Dean (Research and Outreach) and Head, CFRA at NIFTEM-K, along with Sh. Manoj Kumar Singh, Project Director of AKD Consultant Pvt. Ltd. The inaugural function was attended by distinguished officials, including Dr. Neetu Kumra Taneja, Associate Head of CFRA, Dr. Satish Chandra Kushwaha, Dr. Kishan Pal Singh, Mr. Zober Alam Khan, and Dr. Anupama Deora, along with other officials and trainers from NIFTEM-K.
A total of 11 participants from the food testing laboratories of BRDC, Government of Meghalaya, are participating in this training programme. Dr. Komal Chauhan encouraged the participants to make the most of the training programme and gain knowledge and practical experience. She highlighted the significance of food safety, particularly the analysis of pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and nutritional compounds in food products. Mr. Manoj Kumar emphasized that the programme was designed to build the capacity of food testing laboratories in Meghalaya, so that the State can strengthen its infrastructure, in line with the infrastructural available with best of the labs in the country to meet the growing need for promoting the trade of food commodities, across the globe.
The training aims to equip the participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct a detailed safety analysis of various food products. It includes theoretical lectures as well as hands-on practical sessions by faculty and staff, ensuring that the training is both informative and practical. The sessions are curated to cover a wide variety of safety parameters, including the detection of heavy metals, mycotoxins, and pesticides, all of which are crucial for ensuring the safety of food products.
Dr. Harinder Oberoi, Director, NIFTEM-K congratulated Dr. Komal Chauhan and her team for this wonderful initiative and also thanked AKD Consulting for helping NIFTEM-K, organize this training. He said that similar training programmes will be organized in future in collaboration with both the government organizations and private partners. These initiatives will continue to focus on strengthening the capabilities of food testing laboratories fostering food safety expertise, which is essential for improving the food standards of different food