KISHTWAR: The team of Food Safety DFCO Kishtwar today organised an Awareness-Cum -training program on Food Fortification and Eat Right initiatives for MDM Enforcement Staff including teachers, front-liners, FBOs locals here at HQ Kishtwar.
During the awareness camp, stress was laid on the health benefits of Food Fortification and Combating with the prevalent challenging issues of malnutrition and dietary deficiencies in the general public particularly in Children in schools & elders at home.
Over 200 MDM Teachers, staff, front-liners and Food Business Operators, Stakeholders locals and prominent citizens and public took part in the program.
During the workshop, Taraq Ahmad Butt, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety DFCO made detailed deliberations on Food Fortification and Eat Right initiatives within the regulatory framework to create a conducive environment for effective adaptation of Food Fortification in the district.
Expressing concern over the mission of the Campaign Taraq Ahmad Butt, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety DFCO Kishtwar said that under Aegis of FSSAI, such programs are being and shall be organized across the District with the maximum coverage to Mid Day Meals incharges, Front-liners workers as well as to the Food Business Operators.
The Enforcement Officer Prithpal Singh delivered a lecture on Food Fortification & Eat Right initiatives and instructed the trainees to implement the Government policy in the their projects, especially in Schools for proper implementation of Mid-Day Meal Schemes to prevent large scale malnutrition and slide down the graph of Anaemia which is still prevalent in children. He also guided the participants to develop Social behavior to achieve population level health impact through a system change approach.
During the training program, it was highlighted that Fortification was a practice of increasing the contents of one or more micronutrients (vitamins or minerals) in Food products to improve nutritional value as well as quality of the Food and provide public health benefits with minimal Risk to Health.
During the workshop Brochures, pamphlets, informative print material were distributed amongst the participants.
Notably,the demonstration through Magic Box remained excellent to watch and admire.
Besides, regarding the five Fortified Food products including Salt, Milk, oil, Rice and Flour, the speakers explained point by point and live demonstrations of the products were made on the spot to the participants.
During the workshop, prepared Food with Fortified products was served to the participants on the spot.