Fri Nov 15 06:00:50 UTC 2024: ## Merck Launches Comic Book to Educate Students on Food Safety

**Bengaluru, November 15, 2024** – Merck Life Sciences launched a new comic book, “Safe Food, Safe Future,” aimed at educating school children about food safety and microbial contamination. The bilingual (Kannada and English) comic, featuring the adventures of “Captain Khau,” was unveiled at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) as part of the company’s #SafeFoodFirst campaign.

The initiative seeks to make vital information accessible to families, particularly those who may not be fluent in English, according to Janice Goveas, Communication Head of Merck Life Sciences. Dr. Veena Panicker, Head of Biomonitoring at Merck, emphasized that the goal is not to instill fear, but to raise awareness of mindful eating habits and their long-term impact on health.

The launch event included an interactive quiz, a Q&A session addressing student queries (such as the role of nitrogen in chip packets), and two live experiments demonstrating how to identify adulterated food and visualize germs using UV light. The experiments used readily available materials like milk, turmeric, and iodine to illustrate contamination detection.

Merck’s CSR team, SPARK, played a crucial role in the event, showcasing the company’s commitment to public education. Goveas highlighted the company’s broader objective: to inform the public about the unseen work done by organizations like Merck to ensure scientific advancements benefit society. Future initiatives, Goveas added, will focus on water purity. The event was attended by students from government schools participating in the Merck SPARK program on germ detection.

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