To fortify the practice of sustainable food safety management systems, Mekong Institute (MI) rolled out the “Food Safety Management Tools in Food Manufacturing” training from March 15 to 19, 2021 via digital channels.  

“To secure consumer trust, consistency of food quality is key,” Maria Theresa S. Medialdia, MI Director for Agricultural Development and Commercialization, said during the opening session. She enjoined participants to adopt the principles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in their processing operations as these are proactive steps in protecting consumers’ health and enhancing small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) market competitiveness.

“It is our hope that after this training, you will be more equipped to follow hygienic practices in handling food to prevent or minimize outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and to be able to take appropriate actions when outbreaks do take place,” Ms. Medialdia added.

About 20 agri-food company representatives from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CMV) were introduced to current food hygiene regulations, GMP principles and application, as well as requirements for certification to encourage higher food safety compliance among SMEs.

Alongside the didactic sessions, CMV nationals were also encouraged to exchange best food safety practices to build an inter-country wide knowledge base that is applicable and useful in CMV context.

This is the third PROSAFE hybrid training program in 2021. Supported by the New Zealand Aid Programme, MI’s PROSAFE project aims to strengthen food safety capabilities of agri-food supply chain stakeholders in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Specifically, its goal is to promote food safety through a coordinated approach to knowledge and skills development. Apart from addressing country-identified training needs, the project also builds strong partnerships and collaboration between the public and the private sector.