Ind-Expo shares expertise in implementing food hygiene grading scheme with team of Laotian auditors

Friday, 21 June 2013 04:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ind-Expo launched a food hygiene grading scheme namely the “Crowns for food hygiene” scheme in 2010 with the technical assistance of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project on “Strengthening international certification capability in Sri Lanka”. UNIDO assisted Ind-Expo in training and qualifying a group of auditors to carry out food safety-related inspections under this stated project. Ind-Expo’s scheme has now been in operation its launch. As an expansion strategy of the scheme, Ind-Expo had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the Kotte Municipal Council and the Kaduwela Municipal Council to promote

food hygienic standards amongst food handling establishments through the implementation of the scheme. Under this expansion step, Ind-Expo has now completed conducting assessments of tourist hotels in four destinations and restaurants and eating outlets to promote food hygiene standards. The successful implementation of the scheme was taken as an example for a project which has taken necessary steps to implement a similar scheme in Louangprabang, Laos, to promote sustainable tourism with the objective of providing safer food to their patrons visiting Laos. UNIDO assisted the Government of Laos, to train competent auditors, and as a component of same, a team of Laotian auditors visited Sri Lanka to obtain practical experience and training in operation of the crowns for food hygiene scheme in Sri Lanka. In this regard a training programme and mock audit were arranged by Ind-Expo and was conducted by Ind-Expo Certification Ltd. Operations Manager S. K. C. Chithrangani, who had received training with the Birmingham City Council on the ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme in England. Ind-Expo Certification Ltd., is a public limited liability certification and training organisation established by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries and the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka, under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce with the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s project on strengthening international certification capability in Sri Lanka.