Jammu Hoteliers & Food Processing Industry sensitized
on Food Safety & Quality Concepts

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) J&K Council and CII Institute of Quality (CII-IQ) in association with Quality Council of India organised a one-day “Appreciation Programme on Good Hygiene and Good Manufacturing Practices for Food Safety and Quality for Hotel and Food Processing Industry” at Jammu on 12 November.

From Left: Ms Vani Bhambri, Mr Deepak Mathur, Ms Sarita Chauhan, Mr Sanjay Puri and Mr R S Parmar at the Programme

Ms Sarita Chauhan (IAS), Director – Tourism, Jammu in her special address, while complimenting CII for taking the initiative to organise this very relevant appreciation programme for the Hotel & Food Processing Industry of J & K, said that this programme would go a long way to give the desired boost to the tourism sector as tourism was not only about a beautiful location but was a wholesome package of which availability of quality & hygienically prepared food was an important ingredient. Today’s tourist, being widely traveled, had tasted different cuisines across the country and was looking at good quality & hygienically prepared food besides the scenic beauty of the State “Our hotel industry should have the capability to make cuisines which would be popular in any part of the country with the same flavor and quality” she added.

She also informed that the tourism department was preparing an exclusive Jammu tourism website which would have information about various tourist spots with a mechanism to get tourist feedback including problems faced, suggestions and the quality of Food served. Besides, soon there would also be guides who would specialise in advising the tourist as to the availability of top quality food. She therefore exhorted the hoteliers and the entrepreneurs from the Food Processing Sector to ensure quality in their products without which they would not be able to sell themselves as a brand. Hence, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) implementation in letter and spirit was essential also to enable them to comply with the mandatory Food Safety Act.

Mr Sanjay Puri, Chairman CII J & K State Council while welcoming the participants echoed similar sentiments about attracting tourists with food delicacies which are not only tasty but were hygienically prepared on HACCP lines to further complement the States tourism sector which was the major driving arm of the State’s economy. Mr Puri also underlined that J&K being one of the largest producers of fruit in the country, had led to the development of a large number of Food Processing units. In order to be competitive with the other States in the Food Processing business, HACCP implementation was imperative, he added. With expanding consumer surpluses, eating habits were changing with more people opting for high quality processed and ready to eat food.

The technical session was conducted by Mr Deepak Mathur, Consultant, CII-IQ. The topics covered included Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) , Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Location , Premises , equipment & design facilities , Maintenance , Cleaning & Sanitation ,Pest Control & Personal Hygiene , HACCP Journey & Roadmap.

Mr Babar Afzal , Chairman Kashir Lounge presented a Case Study explained the importance of ensuring Innovation, Leadership and implementation of HACCP’s 10 points with special reference to hotels & restaurants.

Mr Vani Bhambri, Quality Council of India spoke about the Role of Accreditation in the Food Sector and how it would facilitate globalization though trade bodies & government.

The programme was attended by over 40 delegates which included officials from the Hotels & Food Processing Industry of Jammu , Katra , Baribrahmana ,Samba & Udhampur.

<<Back