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Participation in AAHAR 2006, New Delhi

NCHC participated in ‘AAHAR 2006’, the International Fair on food, food processing & related equipments, hotel & restaurant equipments & supplies, , organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 8th – 12th March, 2006.

The Fair was organised with the support of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India; Agricultural & Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA); Association of Resource Companies for the Hospitality Industry (ARCHI); Confederation of Indian Food Trade & Industry (CIFTI); All India Food Processors Association (AIFPA) and Hotel & Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers Association of India (HOTREMAI). Significantly, the Fair has over the years evolved into ideal forum for initiation of joint venture agreements and technology transfer processes that assure considerable returns. The Aahar Fair offered a platform for NCHC to showcase the activities and services of NCHC, the importance of International Food Safety (HACCP) System, the role of Government of Kerala in the implementation of Food Safety System etc.

Pro Food Tech 2004, Bangalore

K-BIP/NCHC organised the participation of Kerala State in Pro Food Tech 2004, the event on Food Processing, Preservation & Packaging held at Palace Grounds, Bangalore from November 27th to 30th 2004. The event was organised in association with Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India; Ministry of Large & Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka, DFRL, KIADB, India Institute of Packaging etc.

Kerala was the Partner State for the event and a Kerala State Pavilion was set up at the Fair in which National Centre for HACCP Certification (NCHC) and Agency for Development of Food Processing Industries in Kerala (ADFIK) along with nine leading Food Processing Units from the State like Foster Group, Thrissur; Sara Spices, Ernakulam; Kilban Foods (Happy), Kozhikode; KPL Oil Mills, Thrissur; Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram; Poabs Green, Thiruvananthapuram; Manjilas (Double Horse), Thrissur; Eastern Condiments, Kochi and Nadukkara Agro Processing Co. Ltd., Kochi participated and exhibited their products and services.

Concurrent to the event, a Kerala Evening was also organised in which technical presentations were made by Mr. V Rajagopal, General Manager, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) and Mr. S. Ramanath, CEO, Agency for Development of Food Processing Industries in Kerala (ADFIK) regarding the Food Processing prospects in Kerala, the incentives offered by Government, activities & services of National Centre for HACCP Certification (NCHC) etc.

HACCP to KCPL

Kerala Chemicals and Proteins Ltd. (KCPL), one of the most successful Indo-Japanese industrial ventures in Kochi, Kerala, has received HACCP Certification from National Centre for HACCP Certification (NCHC) for their Gelatin Division. KCPL today is one of the major manufacturers of premium, export quality Gelatin in India. Functioning in technical collaboration with NITTA, the company has a production capacity of 2000 TPA. KCPL's state-of-the-art plant is highly automated using the latest available version of process control software. The entire process is monitored and controlled from the Central Control Room. The equipment selection for the Plant has been with an eye on maintaining global product quality standards. All critical equipments have been imported from the best sources in the world. KCPL maintains very high level of hygiene & sanitation and their pre-occupation with quality has won them the HACCP Certification.

TRAINING OF SECOND BATCH AUDITORS ON HACCP CERTIFICATION

NCHC organised a Training Programme on Food Safety (HACCP) System from July 19-23, 2004 at Thiruvananthapuram. The approved Consultants of NCHC imparted the Training to 18 Government Officials from Departments like Health, Agriculture, Dairy Development and Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP). During the Training, the officials were also sent for hands on experience with specific industry so that they actually undergo field experience of HACCP procedures. The trained officials would be able to audit the food processing industries observing necessary safety procedures and shall act as the official auditors of NCHC.

HACCP CERTIFICATE TO MAS CURRY POWDER & CARDAMOM UNITS

MAS Enterprises Ltd. was formed in the year 1982 with diversified business activities in the fields of cardamom plantation, export, auction, manufacturing, marketing and trading of agro based food products like curry powders, tea, coffee powder, spice blends etc. As part of their drive to maintain highest standards in quality, safety and hygiene, they have implemented all measures in the areas as per the guidelines of HACCP.

The award for Cardamom was received by Mr. R. Kumaresan, Chairman, MAS from Mr. C.J. Jose IAS, Chairman, Spices Board. Also seen are Mr. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, K-BIP and Mr. T.T. Jose, MD, MAS.

In recognition of this and also as an approval of all safety standards adopted by MAS Enterprises Ltd. for their Curry Powder Unit and Cardamom Grading Unit, National Centre for HACCP Certification has granted them the HACCP Certification for their Curry Powder and Cardamom Grading Units based in Bodinaykannur, Tamil Nadu. The award was presented to them by Mr. C.J. Jose IAS, Chairman, Spices Board, Government of India in a function held on April 17, 2004 at Kochi.

The award for Curry Powder Unit was received by Mr. N. Murugesan, Vice Chairman, MAS from Mr. C.J. Jose IAS, Chairman, Spices Board

HACCP TO SAJ FLIGHT SERVICES, KOCHI

The Chennai-based aviation catering company Saj Flight Services Pvt Ltd has received the HACCP Certificate from National Centre for HACCP Certification (NCHC) for its Flight Catering Unit based in Kochi.

The award was presented by Mr. Cherkalam Abdullah, Hon. Minister for Local Self Government, Government of Kerala to Mr. C. M. Manuel, Regional Director of SAJ. Mr Sajan Varghese, Managing Director, Saj Flight Services was also present on the occasion.

5th IFCON 2003 & Food Exhibition 2003

Visit of Shri. N. T. Shanmugam, Hon. Minister for Food Processing
Industries, Government of India to NCHC Pavilion; flanked by
Shri. Suraj S. Nair, Asst. Manager, K-BIP.

NCHC/K-BIP participated in the Food Exhibition 2003, an International exhibition on Food Processing Industry & Technology organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in association with AFST(I), CFTRI and DFRL from December 5th to 8th 2003 at CFTRI Campus Mysore.

The exhibition was organised in concurrent with the fifth International Food Convention ‘IFCON-2003’. IFCON is the largest International Food Convention in India held after every five years and attended by many from the Food Industry. A detailed presentation on NCHC was also made by Shri. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, K-BIP/NCHC during the IFCON Convention being held in concurrent with the event.

Lot of visitors from the Food Industry, which includes Captains of Food Industry, Food Scientists, Technologists, Engineers, Food Producers and Processors, Equipment Manufacturers etc., visited the NCHC Pavilion. The delegates to the IFCON Convention formed the main target segment for NCHC and for the live demonstration of the services of NCHC was offered to them at the Pavilion.

V. Rajagopal, General Manger, K-BIP presenting NCHC at the IFCON Convention

HACCP CERTIFICATION TO SAJ FLIGHT SERVICES, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

M/s. Saj Flight Services Pvt. Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram is one of the first Food Processing Unit undertaken by NCHC for HACCP Certification. After thorough audit and evaluation, Government of Kerala approved the proposal for awarding HACCP Certification to M/s. Saj Flight Services and this is the first Food Processing Company of the State to receive HACCP Certification by NCHC. Also M/s. Saj Flight Services is the first Airline Catering Company to receive HACCP Certification.

Shri. P. K. Kunhalikutty, Hon’ble Minister for Industries & IT, Government of Kerala has formally awarded the HACCP Certification to Mr. Sajan Varghese, Managing Director, Saj Flight Services at a colourful function held at the premises of the Unit.

Shri. P. H. Kurian IAS, Secretary (Industries); Shri. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) and Shri. Alan Ming, Vice President (Quality Control) of Saj Flight Services also spoke on the occasion

Workshop on Food Safety and Quality through HACCP

Shri P.H.Kurian, IAS, Secretary-Industries, Govt. of Kerala inaugurating the Workshop on Food Safety & Quality Management through HACCP & SQF 2000 held on 26th February 2003 at Kochi under the auspices of CII & KBIP. Also seen in the picture are (from L to R) Shri T.R.Raghulal, Convenor-Food processing, Agro & Bio-tech panel, CII, Kerala, Shri V.Rajagopal, General Manager, KBIP, Dr.M.K.Mukundan, principal Scientist & Head of Quality Assurance & Management Divn. CIFT-ICAR, Smt.Pamela Anna Mathew, Chairperson, CII-Kerala and Shri G.Anand, Dy.Director, CII-Kerala.

A one day Workshop on 'Food Safety & Quality Management through HACCP and SQF 2000' was jointly organised by Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Kochi on 26 February 2003. The Workshop was inaugurated by Mr. P. H. Kurian, Secretary (Industries) and Executive Director, K-BIP. Mr. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, K-BIP made a presentation on 'the HACCP initiatives of Government of Kerala and the role of NCHC' at the inaugural sesion. Dr. M. K. Mukundan, Head of Quality Assurance and Management Division, CIFT-ICAR; Dr. P.T. Lakshmanan and Dr. K. Ashok Kumar, both Scientists at CIFT, Mr. K. Sasi Kumar of Elite Foods made technical presentations during the Workshop.

Formal Launching of Logo & Website of NCHC

Launching the Logo of NCHC by Shri. P.K. KunhaliKutty, Hon. Minister for Industries and IT on 6th January 2003 at Thiruvananthapuram.
Also seen are Shri. Ajay Kumar, Secretary(Industries); Shri. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, K-BIP and Shri. G. Umesh Shenoy, Convenor, SLBC.

An exclusive website www.haccpindia.org has been designed and developed by NCHC, which enlists all the activities pertaining to the Centre. The Website provides information on NCHC, its objectives & functions, relevance & importance of HACCP concepts, the HACCP pre-requisites, compliance formalities, audit and certification procedure. The website will have updates on International Food Safety Norms, export / import regulations of various countries in the Food Sector, the different types of Training Programmes conducted and also the online application for HACCP Certification. This will be an interactive site through which all queries will be answered immediately.

The website www.haccpindia.org was formally launched by Shri. P. K. Kunhalikutty, Hon'ble Minister for Industries & IT on 6th January, 2003 at Thiruvananthapuram.

National Centre for HACCP Certification launched in Kerala

A National Centre for HACCP Certification was launched by Industries Department, Government of Kerala on 25 October 2002. The Centre, associated with Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP), Thiruvananthapuram who will be the Nodal Agency for HACCP Certification for the Food Processing Sector, shall ensure that Food Safety & Hygiene in the Food Processing Sector is in line with International Standards. This Centre is the first of its kind in the country.

Shri. A.N.P. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India inaugurated the Centre. Shri. John Mathai, IAS, Principal Secretary(Industries) presided over the function. Shri. Ajay Kumar, IAS Secretary(Industries), Smt. V. Bhavani, IAS, Additional Director of Industries and Commerce, Shri. V. Rajagopal, General Manager, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion, Shri. Xavier Thomas Kondody, State President, KSSIA and Shri. T.R. Raghulal, Convener (Food processing sector), CII also spoke on the occasion.

The Centre will be able to issue certification for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) as per the guidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The Centre shall also have the capacity to conduct HACCP audit and training and suggest modifications on Food processing industrial activities.

Objectives

To develop a team of experts in the Design, Implementation, Audit and Certification of Food Safety Systems, to ensure compliance with ‘The Codex Principles of Food Hygiene and the Application of HACCP in Small and Less Developed Food Business Operations/Establishments (SLDBs).

To provide guidelines to the industries as well as guarantee to the consumers that the food produced & marketed are safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption.

To facilitate the Action Plan of the Government to transform the State as well as the Country as nation devoid of Food Safety issues.

Functions

Operate in collaboration with all the stakeholders in the Food Chain in the application of HACCP based Food Safety System.

Develop sector specific guidelines tailored to suit to the needs of the State/Country.

Nodal center to Audit and Certify the Food Safety in the Food Business Operations to provide guidance to the consumers world over to meet Country’s obligation as a signatory of WTO and equip the industry to compete in the Global markets.

Maintain the system effectively through continuous review and improvement.

Collect and collate current data as well as information on Food Safety, disseminate the same to all the stakeholders.

Establish linkages between National and International organizations related to Food Safety and participate effectively in the Food Standard development process of The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).

Towards achieving the above, nineteen technical personnel identified from various State Government Departments and Agencies have been imparted one week full-fledged training. These trained personnel will now be the audit team for HACCP Certification.

TRAINING PROGRAMME ON FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY (HACCP) SYSTEM

A Training Programme was organised by Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) from October 21- 25, 2002 at Thiruvananthapuram. For the Training Programme, a Core Group of 19 Officials from various Departments of the Government was selected since the subject was related to number of departments, apart from Industries. The selected Core Group was given full-fledged Training for 5 days regarding HACCP procedures and other Food Quality related matters by the FAO Consultant. The selection was conducted in a manner that the person should have a minimum basic qualification of a Science Graduate except Physics and Mathematics, working in the related field and interested to work for HACCP after completion of the Training.

The selected Core Group was given full-fledged Training for 5 days regarding HACCP procedures and other Food Quality related matters. The Training was based on curriculum under Codex Principles of food hygiene and was sector specific. During the Training, the Core Group was also sent for hands on experience with specific industry so that they actually undergo field experience of HACCP procedures. The objective of the Training was to promote Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and the HACCP System through understanding and application of the Codex General principles of Food hygiene, including Codex guidelines for the application of the HACCP System and other Codex codes of hygiene practice. The Training Programme harmonized the approach of the GMPs and the application of the HACCP System and provided an effective mechanism for delivering the appropriate core curriculum and knowledge to selected segments and sectors of Food Industry.

The trained Core Group Officials with Mr. Ajay Kumar I.A.S, Secretary (Industries); Mr. V Rajagopal, General Manager, K-BIP; Dr. N Anandavally, UN-FAO Consultant and Dr. T.S.G. Iyer, Food Processing Consultant.

The trained Core Group Officials has now become the Audit Team for HACCP Certification for the Food Processing Industry. A comprehensive Training Manual on HACCP implementation was brought out, which will be the guide for the Auditor for conducting the Audit for HACCP Certification in the food Processing Industry.

Awareness Programme on Food Quality and Safety (HACCP) System, Thiruvananthapuram

The Department of Industries in association with all related departments organized an Awareness Programme on Food Quality & Safety at Thiruvananthapuram on 11 April 2002. The function was inaugurated by Shri. P.K. Kunhalikutty, Hon. Minister for Industries & Social Welfare and presided over by Shri. John Mathai IAS. Principal Secretary, Industries. Shri. Ajay Kumar IAS. Secretary, Industries, Shri. John K. Mathews, State President – KSSIA and Dr. Asha Thomas IAS, Director of Industries & Commerce were also present.

The technical presentation on Food Quality and Safety (HACCP) was made by Dr. N. Anandavally, UN-FAO Consultant in HACCP followed by the Presentation on Food Processing Scenario of Kerala by Dr. G.C. Gopala Pillai, Managing Director, KINFRA. The Potential as well as existing entrepreneurs in the Food processing sector, Government / non-Government officials, representatives from various organizations etc participated in the programme.

Shri. P.K. Kunhalikutty, Hon. Minister for Industries, IT & Social Welfare inaugurating the ‘Awareness Programme on Food Quality & Safety’. Shri. John K Mathews, State President – KSSIA, Shri. Ajay Kumar IAS. Secretary, Industries, Shri. John Mathai IAS. Principal Secretary, Industries and Dr. Asha Thomas IAS. Director of Industries & Commerce also seen.