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Agri and family welfare minister Singh launches NDDB Quality Mark logo
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Friday, 21 July, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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Radha Mohan Singh, minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, launched the National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Quality Mark logo at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.
Sudarshan Bhagat, minister of state for agriculture and farmers’welfare;Devendra Chaudhry, secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHD&F), andDilip Rath, chairman, NDDB, were present on the occasion.
Singh also presented certificates to 14 selected manufacturing units for adopting food safety and quality management systems and adhering to the Quality Mark parameters.
He said that the NDDB Quality Mark logo was being launched as an umbrella brand identity.
This logo signifies safe and quality milk and milk products from dairy cooperatives, and reinforces the consumers’ recognition that the Quality Mark is synonymous with good quality.
The minister said that NDDB’s Quality Mark will provide dairy cooperatives and producer institutions the much-needed brand identity and a competitive edge.
This will also contribute to building consumer confidence in dairy cooperative brands. Singh said that it was aimed at bringing about process improvement in the entire value chain, from the producer to the consumers, to ensure the availability of quality milk and milk products.
This initiative does not propose any new/additional system for food safety and quality management, but lays down the processes required for ensuring quality and safety.
Singh added that an eleven-member management committee willoversee the activities of the Quality Mark.
It comprises members of theDADFand managing directors of four regional federations.The Management Committee also has a representative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and two experts in dairying.
He said that interested federations, cooperative dairies, educational institutions and government dairy units may apply for the Quality Mark.
Only dairy units that adopt food safety and quality management systems for milk and milk products and adhere to the parameters, given the guidelines of Quality Mark, are eligible.
Singh said that the award of the Quality Mark shall be valid for a period of three years, subject to maintenance of quality, food safety standards and compliance with the terms and conditions of the agreement.
He said that though the approval for award of Quality Mark shall be valid for three years, surveillance audit for checking compliance with the norms of the quality mark shall be held once every year.
The minister informed that since the roll-out of the initiative in January 2016, the NDDB has received 55 applications from cooperatives across the country.
Of these, 14 units have successfully cleared the two-stage assessment process. The remaining 31 dairies were informed about the areas of improvement. They have been provided a period of six to nine months for implementing the corrective measures.
Singh said that this initiative of NDDB will facilitate and strengthen the efforts of FSSAI. It will also create requisite awareness among various dairy units across the country for adopting the quality measures detailed the guideline document.
Bhagat said, “Operational norms of participating dairy units will be monitored and validated.”
“The assessment is a two-step process, involving pre-assessment and a final assessment,” he added.
“The pre-assessment largelycovers the village level procurement and processing infrastructure availability, training manpower and the retail sales,” Bhagat said.
“Only those units that score over 70 per cent in the preliminary assessment are considered for the final assessment, which will be conducted by a team of three experts, of which one is an external expert,” he added.
“The final assessment is made for the evaluation of critical and major parameters that influence the quality of the processed milk and milk products,” Bhagat said.
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