Academia, industry liaison need of hour

LAHORE:In a significant move to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application, the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (PAFDA) held a comprehensive workshop on Thursday titled ‘Understanding the difference between quality assurance and quality control.’

The event, hosted at the PAFDA Auditorium here, drew a dynamic crowd of university students, young professionals and early-career researchers eager to sharpen their understanding of global quality standards.

The workshop aimed to demystify the often-blurred lines between Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC), two pillars essential to ensuring product safety, consistency and regulatory compliance in the agriculture, food and pharmaceutical sectors.

The highlight of the day was an exclusive keynote address by internationally acclaimed quality management expert, Dr Khalid Saeed. In his address, Dr Saeed offered participants a deep dive into global quality frameworks, accreditation mechanisms and best practices from countries such as Norway.

The initiative reflects PAFDA’s broader commitment to capacity-building within Punjab’s regulatory and production ecosystem. By connecting academia with the needs of the industry, the authority hopes to nurture a new generation of quality-conscious professionals capable of driving systemic improvements in food safety, pharmaceutical production and agricultural innovation. Industry insiders hailed the workshop as timely and necessary.

MoU signed on research

Punjab University's Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (FAS) and Crop Defenders (Canada) have agreed to promote agricultural research. In this regard, an MoU signing ceremony was held at the committee room of PU VC’s office.

Moot on Nutrition

The international conference on Nutrition, Food Chemistry, and Culinary Sciences organised by the Department of Nutrition and Health Promotion was held at the University of Home Economics (UHE) here on Thursday.

The conference drew participation from scholars and researchers across the UK, Germany, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. The opening ceremony was attended by the Dr Farrukh Naveed, Secretary of Higher Education Department and Chairperson of PHEC as the chief guest.

In her keynote address, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zaib-un-Nisa Hussain expressed concern over the growing malnutrition crisis among children in Pakistan, noting that poor nutrition was leading to serious developmental challenges.