PAKISTAN – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have trained trainers from three public partners in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Province on Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), for improved food standards.
The 7-day training was conducted under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded Project for Agri-food and Agro-industry Development (PAFAID) in Islamabad.
The objective of the training was to reinforce food safety compliance by building the capacity of the local regulatory authorities in GHP and GAHP and halal food standards.
It was designed and delivered by the international experts, Madeleine Smith – UNIDO’s Senior Expert in food safety and inspection practices, and Michele Gallo -UNIDO’s Senior Expert in food safety and inspection practices, from the University of Birmingham United Kingdom.
Senior officials and experts from the K-P Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA), the Livestock and Dairy Development Department (L&DD), and the Local Council Board (LCB) attended the training.
These participants had earlier received training on specialized courses on food safety through the PAFAID e-learning platform and in-person training conducted by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore trainers in K-P.
This was followed by a practical in a local slaughterhouse for hands-on learning regarding the best practices and inspection for slaughterhouse operations.
This training enabled the participants to make informed decisions using the case studies of the local scene for inspection and then filling out the inspection checklists.
Addressing the trainees, Dr. Abdul Sattar Shah Technical Director, KPFS&HFA, encouraged active participation in learning the food safety best practices and called for rolling out these training in their districts.
He added that by adopting these SOPs, the Province will be able to produce quality meat for the domestic market and exports. He appreciated the inspection checklists developed and provided by international experts.
PAFAID is a four-year project funded by JICA and is being implemented by UNIDO in close coordination with the Government of Pakistan. It aims to improve pilot applications of the compliance capacities and adds value to practices in the cattle meat value chain in KP and the apple value chain in Balochistan province.
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