As Maharashtra FDA tightens food-safety enforcement, industry experts weigh formal hospitality education against hands-on experience and FoSTaC certification

With inspections, licence suspensions, and stricter compliance measures by Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe making headlines, industry’s latest concern is if managerial roles should be reserved for hospitality graduates only or FoSTaC-certified and other graduates qualify. Satya Tirtharaj Ghosal moderates a debate

Vijay K. Shetty, President of AHAR

Making hospitality graduates mandatory for managerial roles is an unreasonable requirement. Managing a restaurant or bar requires practical knowledge gained through years of industry experience, which is often more valuable than textbook learning alone.

Many existing managers have successfully run establishments for decades without formal hospitality degrees. Rather than replacing them, they can undergo FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) programmes, which are specifically designed to help Food Business Operators maintain hygiene standards and comply with food safety regulations.