Equinox Laboratories recently conducted a food safety workshop in Mumbai for corporate canteens. Ashwin Bhadri, Director of Equinox Labs said, “The main focus of the workshop was ‘Hygiene’ – both at the personal level and at the workspace (kitchens). It was topical after the recent spate of food poisoning cases was witnessed at a premier educational institution in Mumbai”. He further added, “The objective of the workshop was to guide the corporate sector on the Food Safety Management System ie; the cost effective steps that food handlers can follow during every stage of processing and even handling. Besides, the training module discussed during the workshop would also help the Facility Managers in selecting the right vendor for Good Hygiene Practice at their kitchens.”
Dr V G Chapke, a key member of Team Equinox, spoke about the Food Safety & Standards Act, which came into being on August 2011, and reminded those who were in the food business that they would have to complete their licensing or registration by the same date the next year. The session also focussed on four sub-topics – enforcement, penalties, licensing and registration and corporate responsibility in relation to food safety. Vineet Manocha, Director of Thunderbird Resort spoke at length on basic kitchen hygiene. During the session, he said, “The kitchen should not be visually appealing but also clean from the point of view of sanitation.”
The other sessions were on Food safety management system (FSMS), hygiene management for corporate canteens, selection of the right vendor & ensuring good hygiene practices at the vendor’s kitchen and the best global practices in corporate canteens supported with a case-study. Ashwin said, “Whether a food vendor provides a dustbin outside his joint or avoids using a sheet of newspaper to wrap his food, there is just one universal truth in the business of food: ‘Hygiene is the new buzzword’.”
