22
APR2017
FOOD FOCUS THAILAND
SPECIAL
INTERVIEW
As the global has focused on healthy diets and food safety,
manufacturersareactivelyproducinghealthy food toservedemand
of themarket. At the International Conference on Nutrition (ICN 2)
held inRome inNovember, 2014, theagenda for healthy dietswas
highly focused by a joint committees fromFAO andWHO. Member
stateshavepaidhighattention toaproductionof qualityandhealthy
food for theworld’s populationand sustainability.
For Thailand, the country has amaster plan to encourageThai
population have quality and healthy food. The government has a
strategy on Thai food management to create linkage among
agricultural sector, food, nutrition, andhealth.Aconcrete target has
been also set in the next five years so that Thailandwill become a
source for premium healthy food production. Thiswill bemeasured
by food quality, safety, andnutrition.
PremiumQuality
The production of premium quality of healthy food starts with the
selectionofpremiumgrade ingredients. If the rawmaterialsare from
farm sector, it must grow under good conditions, with good care,
efficiency control system for pests and weed. When farmers are
normally followed the standard, they will learn and remember the
outstanding featureof theproductionsso that theycanevencontrol
size, flavor, savor, and color as needed. Then, farmerswill be able
to grow premium grade farm products. As a result, when premium
quality ingredientshavebeenused for foodproduction through food
processing, itwill beable toguaranteeas “premium foodas itmade
fromquality rawmaterials served for consumers”.
PremiumSafety
InGeneral, Thai farmers and foodproducerswill give their concern
on food safety standard in accordance to the Codex Alimentarius
Commission’s International Food Standards (Codex), the National
BureauofAgricultural CommunityandFoodStandards (ACFS) and
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which work together to
formulate clear guidelineandactionplanon food safetyand control
measure.Farmersandproducers thencanadopt thoseactionplans
immediately. However, others interesting issue for healthy food
producers ishow they canproduce safety foodwithpremiumgrade
as their basic production.
Inorder tostep into theeraofsustainable foodproduction, farmers
andproducersshould “Change theirmindset fromproducingstandard
food to quality and safety food production”. Those are such as to
createuniqueness for healthy food, toadoptmodern technology for
theirproduction, tocontrolproductionqualityandproductionstandard,
to use efficiency traceability system, as well as include risk
assessment by analysis based on risk assessment and risk
management, and riskcommunication inaccordance toCodex’s risk
analysisprinciplestartedwith thefirst stepof riskassessmentwhich
can tellwhether foodor foodproductionprocedureareat risk toharm
consumers’ health in short and long run.
PremiumNutrition
Nutrition isabigdeal andvery important for healthy food.Regarding
theFoodActB.A.2522which ismentionedabout thepremium labeling
for healthy food, this law is the beginning for foodmanufacturers to
inform fact about food ingredients, and identify thenutritional values
that lead to the nutrition labeling. This could communicate for
consumers’acknowledgementandunderstand the realbenefitof that
particular food item. “Consequence, to informconsumersaboutsource
of nutritionandshowclear scientific researchoutcomes, the labeling
willmake the foodmorepremiumgrade in termof nutrition value for
health”.
For instance, generally, healthy foodwill be consideredbaseon
majornutrition information i.e.protein, fat, carbohydratesandcertain
vitaminsandminerals.Thosewillbe taking intoaccounton theamount
of food that should be consumption per day and per serving.
Exceptionally, for premium healthy food, information about major
nutrients is not enough as it needs to inform about source of those
nutrientssuchascarbohydrates fromwhole-wheatflour,orunpolished
rice, which is a good source of carbohydrate compared to normal
starch etc.
Moreover,manycountrieshavepaidattention topremiumhealthy
food in linkage to theProtectionofGeographical Indication (GI) such
asHomMali ThungKulaRonghaiRice, or Jasmine ricegrown in the
ThungKulaRongHai area, aplateau spanning fiveprovinces in the
Northeast –Roi Et,MahaSarakham, Si SaKet,YasothonandSurin
– is characterised by a special glutinous consistency and sweet
aroma. This rice grain claims to have high quality, uniqueness as
grown in well controlled environment, with no use of chemical or
pesticides. These factors make the product premium and being
recognized globally.
Nevertheless, toensureThailandasacentre forpremiumhealthy
foodproduction, it isneed cooperationalong the supply chains from
farmers, primarily food processors, and to small and large food
manufacturers.Theyshouldworkclosely toproducehighquality food
with safety standard, aswell ashavehighnutrition value for serving
both local and global consumerswith sustainability concerns.
Foodand nutrition are crucial tohumanbeing throughout the life cycle.Whatever
is your aged, healthy dietswill enhance physical development and promote good
health. Thus, every countryhasgivenhighattention tohealthydiets, whilepeople
also needmore special health food, which is knownas “premium food”.
Professor Emeritus
KraisidTontisirin, M.D., Ph.D.
ResourcePerson inNational FoodCommittee
Chair of PlanningCommittee
for “Strategic Framework for FoodManagement”
inThailand
