Seafood exporters should prioritise and uphold the prescribed quality parameters for international trade, according to Jagdish Fofandi, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India.
Notably, India stands as the fourth largest seafood exporter globally and holds the distinction of being the leading exporter of shrimp to the US market. However, it is imperative to ensure that stringent food standards are not only met for international markets but also consistently delivered within the domestic market.
“Safeguarding food quality is a shared responsibility in providing clean and healthy sustenance to consumers,” Fofandi said while inaugurating the national technical workshop on ‘Indian Perspective on Food Safety, Security and Standards’ by ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi.
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National workshop details
The two-day national workshop is being held in association with the Society of Fisheries Technologists India (SOFTI), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and the India Section of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) International.
The workshop will deliberate on three major sub-themes of food preservation, fortification and value addition, novel foods and neutraceuticals and, food safety, standards, and risk assessment. In addition, there will be a plenary session by industry thought leaders and a technical session from industry sponsors as part of the workshop.
“This year’s theme is ‘Food Standards Save Lives’. Being a responsible stakeholder in the food safety research and regulation sector, ICAR-CIFT decided to reach more students, academics, regulators, food safety solution providers, and citizens through this two-day national workshop,” said George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT, Kochi.
Alex K Ninan, Regional President, Seafood Exporters Association of India, highlighted the measures being taken to implement biosecurity measures at food processing facilities to ensure food security to the highest standard.