National Workshop and Industry-Academia Interface Meet organised

12^th February 2025, Hyderabad

ICAR-National Meat Research Institute, Hyderabad, hosted a National Workshop on ‘Breakthroughs in Meat and Poultry Packaging and Shelf-life: Best Practices and Industry Standards’ today. The event aims to discuss key findings from ICAR-NMRI’s collaboration with SealedAir Packaging, Mumbai, as well as in-house research, recent industry advancements, and best practices. Bringing together stakeholders including regulators, exporters, standard-setting bodies, integrators, unicorns, and start-ups, the workshop focused on revising relevant Indian standards and guidelines to enhance the retail ecosystem for meat and poultry, boosting both domestic and export market opportunities.

The Chief Guest, Dr Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR, inaugurated the workshop. In his address, he emphasized ICAR’s crucial role in ensuring food security and safety while underscoring the importance of standards and best practices for maintaining global competitiveness. He urged key departments to collaborate in building a robust, transparent, and sustainable food system. 

Dr S.B. Barbudhhe, Director, ICAR-NMRI, highlighted the institute’s contributions to integrated NABL standards, the formulation of national guidelines, technology commercialization, and entrepreneurial support to ensure clean, safe, and hygienic meat and poultry production.

The consultative meeting was chaired by Dr P.K. Shukla, Chairman of FSSAI’s Scientific Panel on Meat and Poultry, engaged with stakeholders on key industry concerns. 

Industry representatives raised concerns regarding packaging and shelf-life compliance, regulatory approvals, trade barriers, labeling guidelines, and training needs. Officials from various regulatory bodies provided updates on evolving standards, streamlined approval processes, and enhanced user-friendly interfaces. 

The workshop concluded with a consensus that harmonizing Indian meat and poultry standards with internationally recognized benchmarks is essential to strengthen the industry and enhance its global competitiveness.

(Source: ICAR-National Meat Research Institute, Hyderabad)