Master Class I: Emerging Food Safety, Quality and Technology Trends and Practices

This plenary session on Emerging Food Safety, Quality and Technology Trends and Practices will include presentations and deliberations on three keys select trends/practices on Whole Genome Sequencing for Investigating Disease Outbreak and Public Surveillance and Quality by Design.

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) is a Genomic epidemiology discipline to build a common understanding which translates into public health risk assessment Standards and Systems. Recently EFSA published 2 seminal reports that details the application of WGS in Food Safety. USFDA has also done some pioneering work on ‘Global Microbial Identifier’ related to the subject. The summit session hence aims to deliberate on enabling the wide use of WGS as the method of choice for typing of microbial pathogens, role of public health laboratory network partners, Global agreement on WGS, analytical approaches and epidemiological interpretation criteria and others.

Metabolomics: Biological samples contain highly informative metabolites that can be readily analyzed with metabolomics, and this can enrich decision making. Metabolomics applications are beneficial to consumer goods, nutrition and agriculture research by aiding in the development of healthier and safer foods and personal care products. The relevance and application of Food Metabolomics will be discussed in this session

Hygienic Equipment Design is a practice which is key to ensuring that equipment designs used in the manufacture of food products prevent physical, chemical and biological contamination of food where equipments could be the source.

Master Class 2 : Global Actions against Drug Resistant Infections and Antimicrobial

Drug Resistant Infections and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have become one of the biggest threats to global health and endangers human development. All around the world, many common infections are becoming resistant to the antibiotics. If we don’t act now, it may cost the global population serious health issues, fatalities and would cost the economy trillions of dollars and push millions of people into extreme poverty. This session aims to cover Strategies and Case Studies on ensuring a coherent approach to address drug-resistant infections across the environment, food, agriculture and health sectors and strengthen cross-sector partnership work and Challenges and new concepts in antibiotics research. The session aims to provide inputs to a Roadmap for India and Cross border Partnership on actions against Drug Resistant Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance.

Master Class III: Tracking and Tracing with Block Chain Technology

A key risk in the food chain are persistent issues like cross-contamination, outbreak of foodborne illness and the resultant economic burden of recalls & food wastage. Due to inadequate access to information and traceability, it can take weeks to identify the precise point of contamination. Many wholesalers and retailers have sold fraudulent food products unknowingly. Block Chain facilitates data-sharing between stakeholders in a food value chain with the use of Block Chain, this practice could come to an end come to an end. Could Food fraud and food safety concerns utilise Blockchain Technology as a solution? The session will also discuss the effective use of Block Chain Technology to trace contaminated product to its source in a short amount of time to ensure safe removal from store shelves and control the widespread spread of illnesses

Master Class IV : Emerging Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)

Growing demand of food products along with the global distribution food network and allied products have posed enormous challenge in recent years to ensure food safety, quality, and authenticity.

In this scenario, high quality Sampling and Analysis process is very important to identify hazards and exposure level of compounds of concerns in food for human consumption. This largely depends upon reliable data and efficient framework equipped with adequate labs and skilled manpower to ensure accuracy and precision of sampling and analysis procedures. Also, good risk assessment and risk management require accurate and reliable data to enable up-to-date and comparable information on hazards found in the food chain and on food consumption. Hence an integrated and well-established ecosystem accompanied with risk assessment approach is crucial to monitor safety of food and to guarantee a transparent and correct frame for the risk assessment.

However, absence of adequate reliable data, proper infrastructure and sophisticated method of analyses is an area of concerns and is debated across the global. Also, the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling is reviewing and revising the recommended methods and processes. Hence these are critical aspects to ensure effective application of sampling and analysis processes for prevention of possible contamination thereby ensuring safe food for consumption.

The session would deliberate on the strategies to develop effective framework and interim solutions. The session would also discuss new trends and technological advancement and on how to establish equivalence of different method of analysis to facilitate trade.