With the rise of technology has meant that the world is a lot more connected than it was twenty years ago and international food safety has become a hot topic of debate. In order to create a more globalised food safety system, the World Bank came up with the Global Food Safety Curricula Initiative (GFSCI).
The GFSCI is led by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), commissioned by the Global Food Safety Partnership and facilitated by the World Bank. It was first established in 2012 and since then, it has been able to figure out the gaps in the international food safety curricula and has been establishing and harmonising the core competencies at the universities. This will help graduates in a global application of food safety to ensure long-term benefits from the farm to the table. Ultimately, it will help build a future work force across nations where they have the skills necessary to handle food safety issues and reduce risk management through their work.
There are currently three surveys being circulated by the GFSCI. Each survey has a different focus;
- Academic and Industry
- Government and Non-governmental Organisations
- Current food safety programme students
The surveys were designed to provide baseline comparative analysis of the current status of food safety programming. Each survey was prepared in consultation with a variety of groups and individuals to gather feedback on the content of the surveys prior to their release to ensure that they met survey objectives and provide the desired qualitative and quantitative results to facilitate next steps.
The Future For Global Food Safety Curricula
The surveys will be open for participation until 2015 for a wider audience reception. By using the existing data, it will help the development of the core curriculum. Future steps also include completion of a comprehensive syllabi, facilitating acknowledgement of food safety programmes through a recognition process, and development of a leadership Master’s curricula, with project completion scheduled for the end of 2017.
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