Background: The workshop was conducted by the Eximius Centre of Export Import Bank of India, at Bangalore on August 10, 1999. The objectives of the seminar were to educate the participants on various quality standards for food products imposed by the developed countries, with special emphasis on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and CODEX standards. The workshop also covered the importance of General Manufacturing Practices (GMP), General Hygienic Practices (GHP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and National Accreditation Board for Laboratories in adoption of standards.

Faculty: Dr. M.N. Krishnamurthy, Head, Food safety & Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, Dr.T.P. Krishnakanth, Scientist, Dept. of Bio-chemistry & Nutrition, Mr. J.S. Sandhu, Scientist, Food safety & Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, and Dr. M.S. Narayan, Scientist, Plant Cell Biotechnology Department, all from Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, were the faculty for the seminar.

Target Sectors: The seminar was oriented towards targeting the industry and trading community of food products including, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed fruits and vegetables, plantations, meat and marine products and processed foods.

Summary of Proceedings: The seminar started with a session on 'Food Legislation and International Food Standards'. The session was addressed by Dr. M.N. Krishnamuthy. In his address Dr. Krishnamurthy started with an introduction on food safety and the obligatory part of the government, manufacturers and consumers in maintaining necessary quality standards for the food products. Dr. Krishnamurthy gave an overview on various food regulation laws which are having substantial influence on the manufacturers. While doing so, Dr. Krishnamurthy also indicated on the differences between safety standards and quality standards and the harmonisation exercise that are being undertaken to standardise the quality requirements both at national level and international level.

In the next session, Dr. T.P. Krishnakantha made a presentation on ISO - 9000 standards. The participants were told to devise a quality policy for their company and conduction of frequent quality audits for implementation of their policy in efficient manner. It was informed that ISO 9000 would provide a good foundation for many of the requirements of HACCP system. It was further indicated that Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Hygienic Practices and Good Laboratory Practices are also useful procedures and can also provide a basis for systems such as ISO 9000 and HACCP.

In the next session, Mr. J.S. Sandhu covered the aspects relating to importance of laboratory reports of testing of food products and standardisation of testing procedures. Mr. Sandhu gave an overview on the functioning of the International laboratory Accreditation Conference (ILAC), at international level and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration laboratories (NABL) in our country. The presentation also include a step by step guidance on 'How a laboratory can prepare itself for accreditation?'

In the last session, Dr. M.S. Narayan made a presentation on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), which identifies specific hazards and control measures to ensure the safety of food products. In his presentation Dr. Narayan detailed upon seven important principles of HACCP system covering conducting a hazard analysis, determining the critical control points, establishing critical limits at each point, establishing a system to monitor the control of CCP, establishing preventive control measures, establishing systems for HACCP audit and documentation. The presentation also covered practical examples on how o identify various hazards and measures to prevent such hazards. Dr. Narayan also presented a module of a mango chutney manufacturing company and suggested how the implementation of HACCP system should be undertaken in that company. This interactive practical session helped the participants in understanding the HACCP system and methodology of implementation in their manufacturing units.

The seminar also gave an opportunity to the participants to interact with the faculty on specific problems faced by them on adherence to quality standards under HACCP system. The issues put forth by the participants include frequency of compulsory medical check-up for the workers in a food processing unit, education methodologies to create awareness and responsibilities for the management and workers in implementing cleanliness in a factory.