AECOSAN at the Closing Ceremony of the 13th Edition of the Masters in Food Safety from the Official Veterinary School of Madrid
Post: Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition
Date: 28 junio 2017
Section: Agencia española de Consumo, Seguridad alimentaria y Nutrición
The closing ceremony took place on Tuesday 27.
The presiding table comprised the President of the COVM and Director of the Masters in Food Safety (MSA), Felipe Vilas; the Secretary General of Agriculture and Food for the MAPAMA, Carlos Cabanas; the Executive Director of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), Teresa Robledo; the Director General of Public Health of the Board of Health for the Community of Madrid, Juan Martínez and the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the Complutense University in Madrid, Pedro L. Lorenzo.
The President of the COVM, Felipe Vilas, gave thanks for the support of the authorities present at the table, and in the room where there more than 120 people present, including students and their families, teachers and a number of different authorities from administration, the university and the business. Vilas highlighted the invaluable collaboration of the 20 sponsors and 38 businesses participating in the MSA in order to permit the practical sessions to take place. All of these are leaders in the food sector. He also congratulated the 41 students who received a merit pass in the Masters, becoming fully trained professionals in food safety, and he wished them a brilliant professional future.
The next speaker was Pedro L. Lorenzo, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the Complutense University of Madrid. He highlighted the extremely demanding programme of the MSA with highly trained teachers and an advisory committee with a huge scientific and technical capacity, with multidisciplinary training in collaboration with the administration, school and business, making this a much-requested course. Lorenzo underlined the excellent collaboration between COVM and UCM in “an area such as food safety with huge relevance and a great future for our professionals”.
Juan Martínez, Director General of Public Health for the Community of Madrid, classed the MSA as a “professionalising Masters of great quality and prestige” which not only offered students a full training but also allowed them to extend their network of professional contacts, of great importance for their futures. He emphasised the good work and professionalism of the veterinary personnel employed in public health who “are always available when a health problem needs solving”.
Mr Martinez was followed by Teresa Robledo de Dios, Executive Director of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), who noted the relevance of the AECOSAN in their commitment to the safety and protection of consumer health, providing support to numerous training activities such as this Masters. Ms Robledo congratulated the students on their completion of this ambitious theoretical and practical programme and encouraged them to continue working in an area with good prospects for the future, highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of food safety, as reflected in this Masters.
The three best students carried out their internships at the AECOSAN head office, thanks to an agreement between the Agency and the Official Veterinary School of Madrid.
During his speech, Carlos Cabanas, Secretary General for agriculture and food of the MAPAMA, emphasised the agri-food sector as one of the leading industrial sectors of the country, representing 18% of Spanish exports to a value of 48,000 million Euros. Mr Cabanas offered figures such as the fact that Spain is the only country in the world to export stone fruits to China and it is the largest supplier of pork to this country. He noted that food safety is basic and that businesses require fully trained professionals to meet the current demands of the sector.
The students from the 13th Edition of the MSA received their diplomas from members of the presiding table. In addition, the sponsors of the event received a sculpture, specially made by the Veterinary School of Madrid, in appreciation of their contribution.