India’s First Vegetarian/Vegan Certification body stepping into Africa Region with DNV as Certification & Audit Partners

L to R – Faheem Zahid(DNV), Craig Barlow(DNV), Abhishek Biswas(SCI), Vagish Pathak(SCI) 

New Delhi, 8th September 2022: Sattvik Certification South Africa (Pty) Ltd (Licensee of Sattvik Council of India) in collaboration with DNV Business Assurance South Africa (Pty) Ltd, inaugurated the “Sattvik Certification Scheme” for the African Market at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi.

The Sattvik Council of India officially released the Sattvik Maritime Management Manuals, which contain “Vegetarian logistics & supply chain management I” and “Vegetarian cruise kitchen & hospitality management II.”

The Sattvik Maritime Management Manuals have been developed keeping in mind the current need for standards in the supply chain for vegetarian or vegan food safety and hygiene combined with traceability and accounting and considering the expectations of the stakeholders. Both DNV and Sattvik Certification SA try to get the word out about this certification programme around the world.

Mr. Craig Barlow, Food and Beverage Technical Business Development/Lead Auditor/Lead Tutor, represented DNV Business Assurance South Africa during the event in the inaugural address along with Mr. Faheem Zahid, Business Controller, DNV India Pvt. Ltd.

The launch was attended by Shri Santosh Gangwar (Former Minister of Labor & Employment & Current Chairperson of the Committee on Public Undertakings, Govt of India), Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Culture, Govt of India, Shri Abhishek Biswas, Founder/Secretary General, and Shri Vagish Pathak, Chairman of Sattvik Council.

Representatives from ministries, PSUs, and the media were also present during the launch event.

The major highlights of the event were the various collaborations for the African market that were launched, such as the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), and the Pan African Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, the certificate felicitation ceremony of ISKCON temple and Jagannath Puri, Hauz Khas, was also one of the major highlights of the event. Shri Vrajendra Nandan Das and Shri Rabindra Nath Pradhan represented ISKCON and Jagannath Temple.

Shri Abhishek Biswas, in his address to the audience, stated that the launch is an effort to formulate a concise set of vegetarian and vegan requirements to be used by organisations in the food and lifestyle chain covering all levels of food processors, manufacturers, restaurants, packaged food manufacturers, traders, dealers, etc. for implementation of the requirements and to be used by DNV for evaluation of such organisations for conformance to the requirements and to certify them.

Shri Vagish Pathak stated, “The Sattvik scheme’s main objective is to create a “Vegetarian Environment” for the vegetarian or vegan consumers of India and African markets by creating SOPs in all applicable areas, having the potential for a guaranteed 100% vegetarian environment. The Sattvik scheme will provide the gateway to the increased market for African access while mitigating the business risks; likewise, it will encourage the facilitation of international trade. The certificate will help in the reduction of production costs through reduced wastage and recall. ”

In her address to the audience, Ms. Lynda Tezkratt, General Manager, DNV Business Assurance, Africa, stated, “At DNV Africa, we are happy to support SCI in its ambition to bring Sattvik food into Africa. Sattvik principles rely on health and wellbeing concepts, as well as food safety and traceability. DNV Business Assurance Africa is very proud to bring our expertise in food safety inspection and certification to foster the growth of Sattvik food consumption among African countries. Through this partnership, we promise to keep working on improving the technical requirements of the standard and boosting its credibility by following strict certification rules. This will give SATTVIK customers across the continent more peace of mind.

Our auditors will be chosen based on their prior experience in the food supply chain and will be instructed on the special requirements of SATTVIK food by SCI experts. This is a welcome addition to value as we expand our auditors’ capabilities and broaden our perspectives into new areas, driven by extremely demanding consumers who want food quality and safety at all points throughout the value chain.”

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