2010 the ASEAN China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will be applied.

UPH FOOD TECHNOLOGY MAJOR OFFERS ISO 22000 AUDITOR CERTIFICATION FOR STUDENTS UPH

Karawaci (06/10) – Starting January 1, 2010, the ASEAN China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will be applied. Competition trade inside and outward the country will be more stringent. Facing these challenges Indonesia must improve the competitiveness of its production. One of which is international standards qualified.

In the field of food industry, since 2002 the international standards organizations develop ISO 22000, about Food Safety Management System, which was published in 2005.

“In Indonesia, the new ISO 22000 is required for international scale companies. While the local industry has not yet. But with the implementation of ACFTA, it encourage the food industry in the country the need to have the certification. For that we need more auditors who understand the techniques in the field of food,” said Ir. Evy Nawangwulan, a senior consultant at PT. Quality Partners, on the UPH campus (6/12).

Anticipating this need, UPH Food Technology major (undergraduate and postgradute program) will offer auditor training certification program ISO 22000 for students. “This program begins with training for lecturers of food technology department, which will be held on January 6-12, 2010. They are equipped with theoretical knowledge, practice field, and making audit reports. The lecturers are eventually going to take the test to obtain ISO 22000 certification auditors,” said. Ir. Hardoko MS., Head of UPH Food Technology Master Study Program. “

Furthermore, this program will be offered also to the senior students majoring in UPH Food Technology. Even if they went to postgraduate in UPH Food Technology Master Program, Food Quality Assurance concentration, the score of certification may be transferred into one of the courses,” explained Hardoko.

This program is a follow-up of the signing of the cooperation between the UPH with PT. Quality Partners as a training provider, in December 2009. “For students, this training certification can be a plus for food technology graduates who wish to enter the food industry, especially in multinational companies,” said Ir. Melanie Cornelia MT., Director of UPH Faculty of Industrial Technology.

“With free trade, the cross-country job opportunities for the auditors is very large. In Asia alone there has not been many auditors for the field of food, the amount of about fifty. Employment opportunities for graduates who master this method is still wide open,” said Evy.

ISO 22000 helps the industry to meet the requirements of legislation relating to food and feed (food animals) in each of the food chain. The elements of ISO 22000 is divided into 4 parts, including; Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP (Hazzard Analyze Critical Control Point) Principals, reqruitments management system, and interactive communication. This is a solution to reduce the ‘food borne illness? or the diseases caused by food. (sar/ros)