Paper Title
Significance of Comprehensive Food Safety and Hygiene Training for Food Handlers of Community Kitchens

Abstract
Food safety pertains to the prevention, reduction or elimination of the risk of ill health or death, as a result of the consumption of foods whether fresh or processed, obtained through the domestic market, or by international trade. Food safety is an issue of growing importance due to several world-wide trends that contribute to increasing safety risks in food systems, such as the growing movement of people across borders; increased movement of agricultural and food products across borders; rapid urbanization; changes in food processing and handling practices; and the re-emergence/emergence of diseases, pathogens, toxins and other issues. Issues relating to food safety will therefore have an impact on agricultural production, agro-processing, the food service industry, trade and commerce, public health and overall economic development. A food safety and hygiene policy is very important to the development of an improved food safety program as it provides the overarching framework and principles that will guide the requisite interventions. An effective food safety policy has a direct impact on public health, animal health, food safety, nutrition and domestic and international trade. Food safety plays a perinnial role and it goes from farmers in the fields to the workers in the factories, from the traders in the market to the food handlers who prepare food for others. Hence, food safety is a shared responsibility. Therefore, it is important that the food handlers follow certain standards for food safety through standard training curriculum on food safety and hygiene. There is a need to have a training curriculum on food safety and hygiene in community kitchens like anganwadi and mid-day meal kitchens. Through defined training curriculum, supervisors could be trained who in turn be the food safety supervisors and could train other staff. The supervisors and workers should be made aware about their roles and responsibilities towards providing safe and nutritious food to the children. The training manual on food safety and hygiene developed by the researcher could be used by various community kitchens in order to have an efficient food safety management system. Keywords - FSSAI, Food Safety, Hygiene, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice