M.Phil / Ph.D

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Pakistan is affluent in agriculture and livestock wealth but lacks ability to fully exploit this rich resource due to insufficient investment, inadequate professionals, technologies and value-addition activities. Professional research based programme like M. Phil in Food Safety is expected to result in strengthening food control system and building the trade capacity process in Pakistan, thereby, promoting the economic integration of Pakistan into the global and regional economies and stimulate decent work and employment creation by increasing exports and enhancing the enabling climate for international trade.

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) is already serving as hub for knowledge generation, dissemination and scholarly education of younger generation in Livestock sector including Food Safety. It is our understanding that M. Phil Degree Programme in Food Safety & Control through indigenous and external resources can inculcate the required traits for quality food inspection and monitoring system in Pakistan. Such training modules with requisite knowledge & technology in emerging global scenario will also make the Food Safety professionals aware of global developments and WTO needs, in food inspection system. The responsibility of UVAS in producing educated manpower realizing its role in national progress, zootechnologies, and protection of human health and alleviation of poverty through food sector development is the vital future expectation from the institution. Therefore, development and initiation of this degree program for is one of the priorities of the University.  

OBJECTIVES:

GENERAL:

• To protect consumer by improving the safety status of food up to consumer desk 
• To facilitate Pakistan’s capacity to integrate into global trade
• To improve compliance of exported and imported products with market requirement

SPECIFIC:

1. To bridge the knowledge gap of the existing food safety officers and partner institutions globally
2. To provide internationally recognised training opportunity locally by creating partnership with International faculty
3. To make food safety officers capable of inspecting the food for domestic consumption, food that is imported to Pakistan and food that is intended for export
4. To make UVAS a Pioneer and Leader Institution in Food Safety Training, Education and Hub for policy making

SCOPE/ JOBS:

The demand of professional programme in is expected to increase over the period of time as illustrated through the development of Food Safety Authorities at Federal and Provincial levels as well as indicated by the private sector, Food Business Operators, that they need trained Food Safety Experts.

At present the only dedicated food safety training courses available in Pakistan are short courses (5-10 days) in HACCP and ISO 22000 focused on industry middle managers. The graduates of this programme are supposed to be required / hired by following public and private sectors / areas:

• Food Safety Officers, Assistant Food Safety Officers in Provincial Food Control Systems e.g. Punjab Food Authority. The requirement of Punjab Food Authority alone is in hundreds to expand in all districts of Punjab
• Officers in Federal Food Control System e.g. in National Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health Regulatory Authority , Ministry of National Food Security and Research
• Food Safety Experts in Food Business Operators throughout the supply chain
• Quality Assurance Officers in food processing industries
• Food Manager and Hygiene Managers in national and multinational restaurants, hotels and eateries
• Officers in food certification, auditing and training organizations.

Courses for M. Phil “Food Safety and Control”