Only eight institutions in Ernakulam certified as ‘Eat Right Campus’ by FSSAI
safefoodmitra.com · 2023-11-16 19:23:53
The initiative aims at ensuring safe, healthy, and sustainable food on campuses and reducing the incidence of food-borne illnesses, deficiency diseases and non-communicable diseases among those on campuses.
Four anganwadis located in Ernakulam and Thrikkakara Assembly constituencies figured among the eight institutions that received the certification. The Ernakulam District Jail, Kakkanad, and two private hospitals including Rajagiri Hospital, Ernakulam, and Aster Medcity also received the certification. National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kalamassery, is the only higher educational institution figuring in the list. The evaluation process is under way for two higher educational institutions in the district.
Asked about the poor certification rate, the Department of Food Safety pointed out that the process was a long drawn one as it involved various stages of evaluation. The food handlers are given training through FSSAI’s Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme. The certification is done in a phased manner as per the directions issued by the FSSAI. It can be carried out only with the timely release of funds from the authority as each FoSTaC programme incurred a cost of about ₹16,000. The third-party auditing agency empaneled by the FSSAI had to be paid ₹10,000, it said.