FSSAI and IGNOU Sign MoU to Offer Food Safety Training and Certification Courses

FSSAI, also known as Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has signed a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indira Gandhi National Open University to offer Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) courses through IGNOU network. Under this MoU, IGNOU would become Training Partner for FSSAI’s capacity building activities.

Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI, Mr. Pawan Kumar Agarwal and Registrar of IGNOU, Mr. Jitendra Kumar Srivastava had signed the MoU in the presence of Chief Management Services Officer of FSSAI, Ms. Madhavi Das and Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU, Professor Arora.

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Through this collaboration, IGNOU will offer the following Food Safety Supervisor Training courses: -

• Street Food Vending
• Catering
• Manufacturing
• Retail and Distribution
• Storage and Transport

Mr. Pawan Kumar Agarwal expressed his pleasure for collaborating with IGNOU. He pointed that FSSAI is organising a wide range of activities to implement new Food Safety Regulations. However, implementation of these regulations is a gigantic task. Primarily, awareness must be created in order to create harmony between International Codex standards and all the stakeholders of the food chain, he explained.

Mr. Pawan Kumar pointed out the dearth of well-trained human resources in the country for implementing the Food Safety Regulations in the unorganised and organised sectors of the food industry. According to the norms of FSSAI, it is mandatory for all the FBOs (Food Business Operators) to have well-trained and certified FSS (Food Safety Supervisors) in their organisations. The mandatory rule is good, but it created a huge shortage of human resources, he highlighted.

Mr. Pawan concluded that the food industry needs automation of supply chain and organised retail growth through which higher growth in the industry could be achieved. Therefore, the FOSTAC courses need to be delivered through multiple channels.

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Vice Chancellor of IGNOU stated that IGNOU’s framework is highly suitable for a varied group of human resources to be trained in the domain of Food Safety with a motive to ensure that everyone in the nation gets safe and wholesome food. With a consolidated network of regional and study centres, IGNOU has been offering a varied range of cost-effective courses, he highlighted.

VC of IGNOU also mentioned that the Government of India recognised IGNOU as the significant partner for offering Massive Online and Open Courses (MOOCs) through Swayam Portal.