Recognised for contributions in establishing risk-based approach to food safety in Dubai
Recognised for contributions in establishing risk-based approach to food safety in Dubai
Bobby Krishna, Principal Food Studies Officer, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality, has won the Leadership Trendsetter Award from NSF International. While bestowing the honour, NSF International described Krishna as “influential in making food safety science more accessible to the food industry in the Middle East and India.”
The citation said: “He has opened channels of communication, created important resources for food safety practitioners and helped generate interest and scientific, reasoned debate on food safety best practices. He forged partnerships with international organisations to help the Dubai Municipality and the region connect with the rest of the food safety world.
“Krishna made significant contributions to establishing a risk-based approach to food safety in Dubai. He was instrumental in collaborating with WHO and with the CDC to set up a food-borne disease surveillance and outbreak investigation system, which is now being implemented throughout the UAE. He played a major role in developing the Person-in-Charge personnel certification programme, which trains food safety handlers and managers. The programme is ISO 17024-compliant and features customised training and materials, including a food safety handbook published in the three most popular languages in Dubai.
“He is the main driving force behind the annual Dubai International Food Safety Conference, which attracts 1,500 food safety professionals. The event has made Dubai the centre of food safety activity in the region, helping it establish partnerships with food safety organisations and connect with regulatory agencies, academia and food industry professionals worldwide.”
Lauding Krishna’s achievements, Peter Bracher, Managing Director of the Global Food Division, Asia-Pacific Region, at NSF International, said: “Bobby is dedicated to improving food safety and is well respected in the food safety and enforcement sector in the Gulf region. His work has increased the awareness of practical food safety measures among quality control professionals throughout the region, and our auditors have seen improvements in food safety awareness that can be attributed to his work.”
Krishna runs the website www.foodsafe.ae to educate families and businesses on food safety. He created an online discussion group, the Food Safety Clinic, to spread information on topical food safety issues and to link the Food Department of Dubai Municipality to the food industry. The group is claimed to serve as a forum for interaction, discussion and networking for 950 food safety professionals. He is working with the Food Safety Commissioner’s office in the southern Indian state of Kerala to set up a food inspection and grading system using the food safety handbook he wrote in Malayalam as a model.
NSF International, a global public health and safety organisation that provides expertise and accredited services across all food supply chain sectors, from agriculture, produce, processing, distribution and dairy to seafood, retail and restaurants, presented the 2013 NSF Food Safety Leadership Awards on May 2, during the 2013 Food Safety Summit held at the Baltimore Convention Center, USA. According to NSF, the awards recognise individuals and organisations for real and lasting impacts on food safety, and this year marked the tenth anniversary of the awards programme, which it created in 2004.
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