Experts at webinar called for ensuring food safety measures for a healthy society as a lack of adoption of the measures is causing outbreak of different diseases.

The webinar on Food Safety was arranged by National Institute of Food Sciences and Technology (NIFSAT), University of Agriculture Faisalabad at NIFSAT seminar room. Addressing the inaugural session, UAF Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Tanveer said that adulteration and malpractices in the food sector was an area of grave concern for which tangible measures must be taken to ensure a healthy society. He said that food safety was a process of producing, handling, storing and preparing food in such a way to thwart infection and contamination in the production chain, and help ensure food quality. He said that food-borne diseases were one of public health issues affecting a large proportion of population around the country. He lauded the measures being taken on the part of Food Authorities to provide a quality food for the public. He also suggested food fortification to fight with the malnutrition issue. He said malnutrition issue was worsening due to unsafe food, changing life style so that it is prerequisite to create awareness about balanced usage of food. Faculty of Food Nutrition and Home Sciences Dean Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said that a lack of availability of potable water and pure foods were areas of concern that were aggravating the issues. He said that plenty of food/high caloric intake, dependence on impure environmental pollution, and unsafe foods were posing the serious disease threat for the people. It is surprising that 50 percent of the women and children were malnourished. Talking about the ironic and vitamins deficiencies, he said in Pakistan, iron deficiency (anaemia) and vitamin A deficiency remains widespread. He said that vitamin D deficiency at high with 60 percent; and vitamin A at 45 percent. DG NIFSAT Dr Tahir Zahoor said that the people right from selling food products on carts to a high quality food processing units must ensure the safety measures for a healthy society. He said that malnutrition has emerged the biggest problem. He said that compliance of standards of the food safety was the guarantee of a healthy nation. He said that there was a lot of room to work on the issue. The University of Agriculture Faisalabad has mapped out a comprehensive plan to reopen the classrooms for students in the different phases from September 15. Initially, the classrooms would be opened for MPhil, PhDs and research students. Whereas, the online lectures for undergraduate students will continue and the classrooms will be opened for undergraduate students in next phase keeping Covid situation in view. It was decided at Dean Directors meeting that was presided over by UAF Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Tanveer. Prof Dr Asif Tanveer praised the works of teaching faculty to ensure academic activities in Covid pandemic as the university adopted all tools of the distance education to continue the journey of knowledge and research work. He said that the students got their courses work, lectures and other reading material online at their homes that did not disrupt their academic activities. He added that in the current times, it was prerequisite to adopt the latest tools in order to compete with the rest of the world The meeting also approved the third entrance test for postgraduate degree programs for the sub-campuses. Registrar Umar Saeed said that the university was ensuring all SOPs for COVID. All deans and directors attended the meeting. Moreover Prof Dr Asif Tanveer also planted a sapling as tree plantation drive. Principal Officer Estate Management Dr Qamar Bilal said that UAF has planted 50,000 trees in 18 months and records its data.