FNB News - "Our aim - Thailand as world kitchen with focus on safety"

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INTERVIEW

"Our aim - Thailand as world kitchen with focus on safety"

Monday, 24 August, 2015, 08 : 00 AM [IST]

Manjushree Naik, Mumbai

National Food Institute (NFI) is an independent organisation focussed on promoting and facilitating development of food sector in Thailand, both at governmental and private levels. It offers services such as gauging of lab quality and is also associated with the forthcoming Fi Asia show to be held in Bangkok from September 9 to 11, 2015. Orawan Kaewprakaisangkul, executive VP, National Food Institute, Thailand, in an email interaction with Manjushree Naik elaborates on the organisation’s working and its focus on making Thailand, the world kitchen, under Thai Food Quality to the World project. Excerpts:

NFI is an autonomous body. Tell us briefly about its functioning.
NFI is an independent organisation, and provides all its capability for the betterment of Thailand by promoting and facilitating food development in Thailand’s industrial sectors to both government and private entities, along with retaining and advancing her competence to obtain both national and international acceptance. As for such pursuit, NFI focusses its role on lab services, training, consultation, information services, and product research. Other than ‘lab services’ on microbiological, chemical, nutrition, and GMO analyses mainly on both food safety and food quality, NFI offers ‘technical services’ on validation, measurement, instrumental calibration, and measurement of uncertainty. NFI provides public and in-house ‘training’ on a wide range of topics covering largely all field of NFI expertise, including topics on managerial entrepreneurship.

NFI gives ‘consultation services’ on various specific fields, including international standards (GMP, HACCP, BRC, ISO 9001:2008, ISO/IEC 17025), clean technology, green productivity, carbon footprint, water footprint, etc., laboratory specialist consultation on microbiology, food, and water chemistry are always on request. NFI does 'research' and 'information services' for government & private sectors. When any difficult situation arises affecting economic standing and competitiveness, and requires facts for decision-making by government or private entities, NFI’s Food Intelligence Center will do in-depth research, and channel strategic information with opinions, viewpoints, or suggestions to pertinent ministries: Ministry of agriculture, ministry of health, ministry of industry, and ministry of foreign affairs. One of NFI’s main function is doing research or facilitation on value creation for a wide varieties of food products.

How do you gauge the performance of labs in testing?
What we have done so far towards ministry of industry’s expectations, Thailand food industry, and food world stages is satisfactory. The success is achieved through the effort of NFI’s lab competence: 'chemical microbiological testing lab' accredited ISO/IEC 17025 by department of medical science, ministry of public health; 'calibration lab' accredited ISO/IEC 17025 by Thai Industrial Standards Institute, ministry of industry; and 'proficiency testing provider (PTP)' accredited ISO/IEC 17043 by department of science services, ministry of science and technology. However, as NFI is a non-profit, and state-owned organisation serving ministry of industry, we are always on tight budget with high loads of work, and we move forward by the pride of NFI, and our home country.

Are all the Thai labs directly under your organisation and do you have to oversee their performance? Does this happen on regular basis?
No. Although, NFI basically provides support, consultation, training, and information to all Thailand food sectors - both government and private sectors, as well as leading and giving support to labs for ISO/IEC 17025 improvement, NFI are not competent authority (CA) to oversee any labs. However, we regularly oversee or monitor at times some lab performance in way of duty according to agreements or assignments given by the government sector. NFI often works as PT provider in microbiological field to some or many labs as to agreements given by department of livestock development.

What are the challenges in this regard as food safety is a sensitive issue?
The services on food safety analyses both in chemical and microbiological methods needed by food industry must be for all foods, feeds and waters. The analytical methodologies are different for each of the three categories, and in any one category, the test methods used can be different due to the difference of sample types, matrix forms, contaminant natures, and levels.

These always place the analyses in challenging situation, and it is even demanding when different sensitivity, and different international standards are required. However, we can fulfil such demanding and challenging tasks, and have received acceptance by both government and private sectors for the performance of food safety analyses, and being the fair third-party laboratory. The analysis for water category is more often the most difficult due to higher sensitivity required; permitted level for mercury in shrimp can be 0.5 ppm, but 0.002 ppm in drinking water.

What is the role of your organisation in ensuring food safety in Thailand?
NFI regards food safety as one of its number one priority. We cooperate with other leading national organisations to maintain food safety of Thai food products. It is an NFI mission to ensure food factories to reach world-class standards on food safety, therefore we do everything on – for example – international standards, HACCP, plant layout, analysis, product production, etc. During the past three years, NFI has been assigned by ministry of industry to do the project 'Thai Food Quality to the World' to provide consultation to 300 factories per year on production system based on international standards: HACCP, BRC, FSSC, ISO 22000, and more. The project aims for high potential development of food industrial factories of Thailand to follow the expectation of Thailand as the world kitchen with food safety highly focussed. Additionally, information on regulations and laws on food safety for Thailand can be found on Food Intelligence Center by NFI at FIC.nfi.or.th.

How different is the working of testing labs in Thailand compared to other parts of the globe?
Generally, no difference because testing labs in Thailand have (1) their labs' performance accredited according to ISO standards requirements, (2) high performance instruments, and (3) competent staff members / analysts; therefore the testing labs are at the same global standards as the others.

Is NFI working closely with any world bodies?
NFI representatives have been in the committee of ISO, and Codex. In addition, NFI collaborates with JCCU of Japan, and Campden BRI of the UK. It is an NFI success to work with World Trade Organization on sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, and UN Food and Agriculture Organization on the establishment of the internationally recognised Codex food safety standards.