IFCON organisers save 15 lakh souvenir pages with QR code

Mysuru: As an eco-friendly initiative, the organisers of IFCON 2018 have introduced a QR code in the souvenir which has helped reduce the number of A-4 size pages printed by about 15 lakh.
The souvenir generally contains a write-up about the programme and the various events associated with it. This used to take up several hundred pages. This time, the organisers — the Association of Food Scientists and Technologies (India) along with CFTRI-CSIR and DFRL-DRDO — have decided to do away with the schedule.

Aashitosh A Inamdar, organising secretary of the event, told TOI, “As part of the four-day event, there were 750 poster presentations. We decided to have a brief about all the poster presentation. If we had taken just the gist, it would have required more than 500 pages. To save space, we decided to introduce a QR code which has helped save more than 500 pages in each souvenir. Most people now have android phones and they can access the content.”

The souvenirs are given to more than 2,000 registered participants and to guests and other invitees. Besides saving pages, the souvenir is also now less bulky making it easy to carry around.

MS Mahesh, assistant professor of the department of food science and nutrition, Yuvaraja College, who is taking part in the International Food Convention for the third time, welcomed the initiative.

“Technology should be used as much as possible,” Mahesh said. “This green initiative has helped save precious trees.”

S Anil Kumar, faculty of criminology and forensic science, Maharaja’s College, and the founder of Green India Organisation, said, “It’s a really good development.”

- ( By R Uday Kumar)