Panaji, September 2021:
V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), one of the leading hospitality institutes in Manora, Raia was awarded the ‘Eat Right Campus’ certification, which requires passing a thorough audit of institutional practices. The FSSAI Eat Right Campus felicitation was hosted by the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Bambolim. Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal of VMSIIHE received the framed certification at the hands of the team at FDA.
VMSIIHE is the first hospitality institute in India and also in the state of Goa to obtain the certification with a 5 star rating. The prestigious certification has been obtained under the central government’s ‘Eat Right Campus’ initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which aims to promote safe, healthy and sustainable food practices in educational campuses, workplaces, hospitals, tea estates, etc. across the country. The overall objective of the certification is to improve the health of people and the planet and at the same time promote social and economic development of the nation.
“The certification is a formal endorsement of the cutting edge institutional systems and practices already in place at the VMSIIHE. The extensive certification process was carried out by the Institute in assistance with Indianeers Food Safety Management, an empanelled agency and training programme partner of Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) authorised by the FSSAI,” said Chef Sebastian Breitinger, Professor of Culinary Arts at VMSIIHE.
VMSIIHE has already put in place safety precautions against Covid-19 to safeguard its campus. They have also started a dynamic poster campaign to highlight the perils of food wastage and how to control the phenomenon. To further create awareness about food wastage, VMSIIHE has initiated the idea of weighing leftovers and putting the statistics on display on the institute’s notice boards, which makes everyone conscious of food wastage and motivates them to take steps to eliminate wasteful trends.
A team of 21 food handlers from the various departments of the institute were trained as part of the certification programme, to improve the processes related to documentation of food, as well as to build up a collaboration with food suppliers in order to ensure efficient traceability of sourced goods.
The evaluation process by the team of auditors was a thorough, elaborate procedure with the team minutely assessing staff members of the Institute, as well as examining all documentation processes.
This is a worthy accolade for the institute, and great pride for the state of Goa. “VMSIIHE takes pride in having gone through a strict appraisal and meeting the standards held by the auditor that visited the institute on the day of the evaluation,” says Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal at VMSIIHE.
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