In a major effort to ensure safety and hygiene in mid-day meals, the Akshaya Patra Foundation and the Department of Public Education, government of Karnataka teamed-up to organise a seminar titled Suraksha, highlighting the importance of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. Experts deliberated on the implications of the mid-day meal scheme and the challenges in its implementation at the seminar, in which 170 mid-day meals from all over the state participated.
"The seminar has been organised to educate officials at the taluk and district levels about hygiene and other factors they should take into consideration, when it comes to mid-day meals. We are also educating them about the implications of ignorance under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA)," said Vinay N Kumar, general manager (operations), Akshaya Patra Foundation.
"Although the Act has been in place since 2006, there is not much awareness among the stakeholders. There is no clarity on how can it be used, from the consumer's point of view. But it strictly talks about implications that one might have to face as a food establishment in case of any injury," said Mamatha Mishra, chief executive officer, Health First, a service providing organisation looking into the mid-day meal process to make it time, health and cost-effective through automation.
The mid-day meal quality manual, which was launched at the seminar, will be distributed to all government schools which receive mid-day meals from the foundation. The quality manual has guidelines for teachers and other implementing authorities on precautionary methods to be adopted, safety procedures to be followed while handling a mid-day meal and necessary action to be taken during an emergency.
"The seminar has been organised to educate officials at the taluk and district levels about hygiene and other factors they should take into consideration, when it comes to mid-day meals. We are also educating them about the implications of ignorance under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA)," said Vinay N Kumar, general manager (operations), Akshaya Patra Foundation.
"Although the Act has been in place since 2006, there is not much awareness among the stakeholders. There is no clarity on how can it be used, from the consumer's point of view. But it strictly talks about implications that one might have to face as a food establishment in case of any injury," said Mamatha Mishra, chief executive officer, Health First, a service providing organisation looking into the mid-day meal process to make it time, health and cost-effective through automation.
The mid-day meal quality manual, which was launched at the seminar, will be distributed to all government schools which receive mid-day meals from the foundation. The quality manual has guidelines for teachers and other implementing authorities on precautionary methods to be adopted, safety procedures to be followed while handling a mid-day meal and necessary action to be taken during an emergency.
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