Food Safety and Quality Control as understood by Agrigold

Food Safety and Quality Control is an important subject for every sector of the society. India has attained self-sufficiency in food with sectorial surpluses, emerging from production. With the growth of the economy shift is also being seen in the food basket from consumption of cereals to a more varied and nutritious diet. The availability of safe food improves the health of people and is a basic human right. Safe food contributes to health & productivity and provides an effective platform for development and poverty alleviation. There is great need to improve the food safety at all levels in various departments.

Some Significant Research contributions to uplift the Socio-economic status of the Rural Families:

• To study the effect of feeding malted food on the nutritional status of vulnerable groups (17.9.2004 to 30.06.2006) financial support by Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
• Studies on Fisher Women in the Coastal Eco System of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (August 2001 to December 2003) Financial Support by World Bank
• Home based low cost energy protein rich preparations using Horse gram (Dolicus biflorus) for vulnerable groups (1996-2000) Financial Support by ICAR
• Therapeutic food supplementation in ICDS projects of Andhra Pradesh (1996-1998) Financial Support by World Bank

Rural Women as Entrepreneurs in Mushroom Cultivation

Every woman is an entrepreneur as she manages, organizes and assures responsibility for running her house. It has been increasingly realized that women possess entrepreneurial talent which can be harnessed to create employment opportunities. Technologies developed to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable group of population through Income generation activities

1. Entrepreneurship Technologies : Sorghum Food Enterprise / Geriatric Foods / Malted Infant Foods / High Fiber Vermicelli / Preservation of Palmyra Palm Fruit / Mushroom Cultivation
2. Knowledge Empowerment Technologies : Multipurpose fresh fish Vending & Display Table / Low Cost Ice-cream Freezer
3. Value Addition Technologies : Value addition to Fruits / Value addition to Red Palm Oil / Fruit Powders / Horse gram Products & Soya Products.

Summary & Recommendation

• Improve the Productivity & Profitability of Small holdings through appropriate technologies and market linkages
• Encourage the scope for the growth of Agro Processing, Agro Industries and Agri Business
• Promote opportunities for the services sector to expand in a manner that will trigger the technological and economic up gradation of farm operations
• Start agri-clinics and agri business centers
• The home science graduates can pay particular attention to nutrition and food safety and processing, and help a group of farm women to start food processing and health foods parks
• Young Entrepreneurs for initiating programme in the phase of Soil health enhancement, Plant and Animal Health Care, Seed Technology & Hybrid Seed production
• Operate Climate Risk Management Centers, are the path way to sustainable agriculture and food security as well as agrarian prosperity

National governments, development agencies, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organizations, and research and academic institutions all have a role to play in supporting the development of strong, efficient and equitable cooperatives and producer organizations. Governments can provide favorable policies, transparent laws and regulations that are based on consultation with the producers. They can also provide the right business environment, and consultative Platform. They can also support with the scaling up of successful and innovative cooperative models.

On World Food Day 2012, let us resolve to give cooperatives a helping hand, enabling them to overcome constraints and play their full role in the drive to end hunger and poverty.

Extracted from Agrigold Swarna Sedyam