The Association of International Seafood Professionals (AISP) training platform hosted its first industry workshop as part of its new partnership with Kerala University’s Fisheries & Ocean Studies (KUFOS) program in late October in Kochi, India.
The workshop, “Quality, Food Safety & Productivity,” was timed to run alongside the Indian Science Congress International Conference, according to an AISP press release.
Individual sessions of the workshop focused on “Status of Quality Systems in Indian Seafood Industry” and “Relevance of Global Food Safety Initiative-approved food safety standards and awareness on Food Safety Modernization Act. In addition, AISP Executive Director Roy Palmer presented on “Global Seafood Scenario” and “Productivity and Logistics.”
Other presenters included Anwar Hashim of ABAD Fisheries, Alex Ninan of the BABY Marine Group and C.T. Varghese of Global Mariner, who participated in a general discussion about seafood and the challenges and opportunities ahead.
India is already a powerhouse relating to seafood but predominantly the product is being exported rather than consumed, according to Palmer. Palmer said India faces challenges in food security and nutrition and that the workshop featured discussion about India’s prospects for increasing its own seafood consumption and opportunities in domestic aquaculture “providing [it] is regulated and managed in a sustainable manner.”
“KUFOS are leading the way and it is anticipated that there will be more such events with AISP expanding the knowledge and information for the industry,” Palmer said in the release. “There is already a successful VET program which is attracting approximately 700 students per annum and a key to the future will be how these students are engaged by the industry.”
