Description of the Course
Globally, the food industry faces a huge challenge for feeding a growing population while minimizing its environmental footprint, and reducing the food waste. The latter is a substantial global problem, as approximately one-third of all food produced being lost or wasted. Technology offers a range of solutions to address this issue across the entire food supply chain, from farm to fork. There are innovative tools, trends and techniques in the contemporary Food Technology using multidisciplinary outlook to contain and/or minimize the waste and steer in a new era of greener food production and consumption.
It’s imperative to prepare the future workforce in this important and evolving landscape, given the huge climate change crisis in front of all the nations alike. This training program is designed to build capacities in food professionals specially the college teachers, researchers and students to learn, integrate and align the outlook for a better tomorrow. It shall make them more informed and better equipped professionally. The teachers in food tech colleges are invited to participate in the course as they can inspire students to embrace innovation and contribute to a more sustainable food system. The food related research scholars and students shall be able to comprehend these crucial aspects as they prepare themselves for the professional journeys. The training program is planned on below described themes.
- Understanding sustainable food systems: To comprehend interconnectedness of food production, consumption, and environmental impact, the participants shall learn how the food choices can contribute to a more sustainable future. This shall also require developing much sought-after job skills such as data analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving.
- Newer means of preventing food waste at farm level: To know about precision agriculture combined with enhanced storage technologies such as modified or controlled atmospheric storage, and smart packaging for checking food wastes from farm, and coupling it with weather predicting information to plan harvests at farmers’ ends.
- Enhancing greener supply chain in food industry: To learn beyond conventional techniques. Use of AI for predicting demand, Block chain technology for food traceability, online platforms for ordering surplus food are bringing in a huge wave of change.
- Consumer awareness, education and behavior change for greener choices: To inform and update about apps for inventory management, smart fridges for extending storage, and reducing spoilage, for sharing surplus foods, and reducing food wastes.
- Sustainable food packaging and labelling solutions: To apply edible, biodegradable and compostable packaging materials for reducing polymer/plastic waste in food products (unprocessed/semi-processed/processed) and lessen the environmental burden. Dynamic labelling concepts for showing the actual shelf life are being introduced to check rejects, thus bringing in huge savings to all- producers, retailers and consumers.
- Upcycling and repurposing the food waste: To learn about food waste composting for urban agriculture, anaerobic digestion for producing renewable energy (biogas), with concept of reducing environmental burden.
Special Feature: An additional session on career opportunities in the segment of ‘Food Technology and Sustainability’
Profile of the Instructor(s)
Dr Hari Niwas Mishra, Emeritus Professor, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur
Professor HN Mishra, having over 39 years of professional experience in teaching, research and administration; has many laurels and awards to his credit. He has published 639 research papers including 277 in peer reviewed International journals & 360 in conference proceedings. He has written 4 books, 4 e books, 35 book chapters, 9 lecture compendium & laboratory manuals, 4 technology manuals, and several popular articles in newspapers and magazines and has 14 Indian patents to his credit. Besides, he has been on the editorial boards of several reputed journals. He has supervised more than 290 student research projects including 12 PDF and 50 Ph D research scholars including 2 PMRF & 7 GYTI awardees. Professor Mishra has handled several international and national sponsored research & Industrial consultancy projects. He has created stat-of-the art research laboratory and pilot plants for RTE/RTC food processing and shelf life extension. Dr Mishra has received several awards & honors such as AIFPA Presidents’ Award, GYTI Award, NRDC Award, Best Teacher Award, Dr JS Pruthi Award, etc for his outstanding contribution in the field of food processing in the country.
With a total citation of more than 9500, Prof Mishra has h-index 51 and i10 index 159 to his credit, Professor Mishra has worked in different capacities on various academic and administrative committees of IIT Kharagpur and many other institutions in the country. He has visited several countries abroad including Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Turkey, UAE, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, UK, Belgium, USA and Canada. Professional details including academic and administrative credentials of Professor HN Mishra can be seen at http://www.fctliitkgp.co.in or http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/department/AG/faculty/ag-hnm
Dr Pratima Khandelwal is an eduprenuer and the Founder of ‘FlyHigh’ Educational Excellence Services, an MSME unit in Bengaluru. It is dedicated for capacity building of teachers and students, primarily at higher educational Institutions. She is a visiting professor at RUAS, Bengaluru, empanelled trainer at NPTEL, BS Program, IITM.
She holds PhD in ‘Food Technology and Process & Food Engineering’, and carries collective 24+ years of teaching (MSc and BE BT and Food Technology), research, mentoring and leadership experience and holds 45+ publications, along with 2 patents and a few discoveries of useful Aspergillus strains. She has been awarded Gold medal from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar and ICAR’s fellowships. She’s also into upskilling both teachers and students via customised, engaging and interactive techniques resting on empathetic and techno- pedagogy. She has been offering training programs at AICTE FDPs, NPTEL, NAHEP, Aatmanirbhar Bharat Training of Trainers (under MoFPT, GoI), beyond many central, state and private universities in India and abroad. Her training programs are designed in alignment with OBE and NEP 2020. She carries passion and pragmatism in offering tools and techniques for happier outcomes with participants and stakeholders deriving multidimensional benefits. She is the co-instructor of the program.
Eligibility
Food professionals form Industry, Academia, Research Institutions with proficiency in food science and technology.
ADRI MENON M –
The two-day workshop on Harnessing Technologies for a Greener Food Industry by Dr. Hari Niwas Mishra was truly eye-opening, highlighting innovative ways to tackle food waste, promote sustainability, and embrace greener technologies like AI, blockchain, and smart packaging. I especially appreciated the emphasis on how we, as future professionals, can make a meaningful impact in this evolving field. I am deeply grateful to the NPTEL platform for providing this wonderful learning opportunity! and I look forward to attending more sessions like this in the future!