FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) organized a seminar on “Dairy is for life” at Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan to commemorate World Milk Day.
Speakers at the seminar highlighted the importance of milk in the nutrition of daily lives including various aspects of its consumption for the treatment of malnutrition among adults and senior citizens and the phenomenon of stunted growth among growing kids in the country.
The event was addressed by distinguished academicians and experts including Vice Chancellor (VC) of Bahauddin Zakariya University Prof. Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi along with former DG Prof Dr Nuzhat Huma, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Prof Dr Khalil Ahmed Gul, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Prof Dr Hakoomat Ali, Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar, Director Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Dr Muhammad Tauseef Sultan, Associate Prof, IFSN, Prof Dr M. Riaz, President Academic Staff, BZU, Dr M. Hanif, Chairman Dept of Economics, Col. Azhar Nadeem Buzdar, Manager, FCEPL, Ahmed Zubair Mughal, Head Research and Development, FCEPL, Prof Dr Abdul Raheem, Islamic Studies, Javed Iqbal, CEO, Doaba Foundation, Prof Dr Umar Farooq, Chairman Dept of Food Sciences, Prof Dr M. Zubair, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, BZU, Prof Dr M Umar, Social Sciences, Dr M. Farooq, Director Quality Enhancement, BZU, Shahid Mubeen, Quality Manager, Volka Foods, Dr Farukh Arsalan Siddiqui, Gen Sec, ASA BZU.
The seminar concluded with the MoU signing ceremony between FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) and Bahauddin Zakariya University. Under the MoU, various programs will be launched to promote the dairy sector which will include an internship program for the graduates of the university at FECPL, a health champions program for the professionals at the university, and the collaboration between the university and FCEPL for promoting research and publications for the dairy sector.
On the occasion, Dr. Muhammad Nasir, GM Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at FCEPL said, “The world is moving towards a new age of industrialization. The need for learning and developing skills are expanding at a swift pace. Coordinated efforts between educational institutions and the private sector need to be leveraged. Through this MoU, we aim to bridge the research gap for the dairy sector development.”
Prof. Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Vice-Chancellor Bahaduddin Zakariya University, said “Together with FrieslandCampina we will undertake various engagement activities which include joint research projects, a faculty externship program, dairy research scholarships, and awareness seminars. The collective aim is to grow together and reap the benefits for the awareness of the society.”
The daylong seminar also included various learning and engagement activities for the students. At the end, teachers, students, and experts participated in an awareness walk to mark World Milk Day.
The global event was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food, and to celebrate the dairy sector every 1st of June. Each year since, the benefits of milk and dairy products have been actively promoted around the world, including how dairy supports the livelihoods of one billion people.