- To impart training in the meat, food hygiene and public health to under graduate students.
- To impart advanced postgraduate training in the different branches and aspect of meat hygiene and public health. e.g. methods of processing of meats, preservation of meats by different methods, spoilage and deteriorative changes in the meat, bacteriological and chemical assay, food borne diseases, Zoonoses, examination of fish, poultry, eggs, milk products, meat products etc. Occupational health, preventive and social medicine, food poisoning, HACCP in industry etc.
- Human Resource Development by conducting shout term courses for the benefits of veterinarians engaged in slaughter house meat inspectors food and public health inspectors, butchers and slaughter house technicians in different branches with the object of producing wholesome meat
- To train marketing officers and inspectors in the procedure of sampling of food articles for bacteriological and chemical examination in order to determine the fitness of food for human consumption.
- Harmonization of meat trade with relation with WHO and GATT and act as nodal agency
- To conduct investigation and research on the meat, carcasses meat food product, ready to eat and ready to cook meat food product, in order to establish the standards both for bacteriological and chemicals present.
Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology
A brief history of the department:
In 1975, two eminent scientists, Dr. S. M. Ajinkya and Dr. J. B. Khot, established the Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health (now renamed as Department of Veterinary Public Health). Since then the department made successful progress by keeping pace with time under the leadership of Dr. A. T. Sherikar, Professor and Head of the Department and founder Vice-Chancellor, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University (MAFSU), Nagpur. The post graduate and doctoral programme were initiated in the year 1976 and 1985, respectively. The laboratory has its own identification of team work, dedication, expertise, skill and punctuality and therefore it has been identified and recognized by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) for certification of foods of animal origin. Besides, extensive work has been done by this laboratory in the field of quality control and monitoring of livestock and poultry food, products improvement of meat quality and shelf life by deploying various organic acids, salts, irradiation technology, standardization of the protocols for meat speciation and species identification. Thus, based on previous extension work carried out by the department, departmental laboratory is recognized as a referral laboratory by the government of India.
Department has successfully implemented seven ad-hoc research projects with the financial assistance from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India, APEDA and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The Department has also conducted seven national level advanced short term training courses on “Meat Processing and Quality Control” and one international Indo-Italian collaborative training programme on “Animal Commodities” under the auspicious Guidance of Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India, for human resource development in the country. Also a Food Safety (HACCP) Auditor Training Course in collaboration with DET NORSKE VERITAS AS was organized during 29th August, 2005 to 2nd September, 2005. Further, a training programme on “Standardization and Calibration Practices for Food Industries” was organized in collaboration with Institute for Design of Electrical Measuring Instruments during 9-10 January, 2006. By considering the contributions so far made by this department, this laboratory was identified as Lead Centre for the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) on “Quality Assurance and Monitoring of Foods of Livestock Origin” for which Dr. A. T. Sherikar and Dr. A. M. Paturkar acted as Principal Investigators. Due to the enormous work carried out during the last 29 years, the department is now envisaged into a referral laboratory by successful accomplishment of the NATP project “Establishment of Western Region Referral Laboratory for Meat and Meat Products’ Quality Standards”, Principal Investigator for this project was Dr. A. M. Paturkar. This facility was inaugurated by Hon’ble Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture, Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India and President, ICAR, New Delhi, on Friday 4th February, 2004.
Staff Positions:
Positions No of posts
Professor One
Associate Professor One (Two Vacant)
Assistant Professor Three
Laboratory Asst. Two
Labourers Four
Mazdoor One
Mandate:-