June 7, 2026, Thai Nguyen, Viet Nam – The Mekong Institute (MI), through its Mekong CREATES project, joined partners in supporting the Food Safety for Agrifood Systems Forum 2026, held in Viet Nam as part of the country’s celebration of World Food Safety Day 2026 under the theme “From burden to solutions: Safe food everywhere.”
The forum was part of a broader national communication initiative led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development (IEHSD), Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF), and other partners.
Held in Thai Nguyen Province, the forum brought together government authorities, researchers, universities, development partners, businesses, students, and community representatives to exchange views on emerging food safety risks and practical solutions to address for safer food systems. Discussions highlighted policy and technical perspectives on food safety governance and emerging risks while demonstrating practical solutions and innovations that could be adapted and scaled up in other communities.
“Food safety challenges do not stop at national borders, and neither should the solutions,” said Orn-uma Polpanich, Director of the Green Transitions and Nexus Solutions Department, Mekong Institute (MI). “Forums like this create important space for people to share what is working, learn from one another, and explore how good practices, innovations, and lessons learned can be shared and adapted across Mekong communities and countries.”
The forum was held alongside community activities at Dong Quang Market in Thai Nguyen City, where students, food safety experts, market vendors, and consumers participated in food safety demonstrations. Around 60 student teams from Thai Nguyen also joined a poster and video competition, with winning teams presenting their ideas during the forum.
Through the Mekong CREATES project, MI works with partners to support regional knowledge exchange, capacity development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration on food safety and climate-resilient agrifood systems in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam. The forum in Viet Nam contributed to this regional work by bringing together practical experiences on food safety risks, One Health approaches, youth engagement, and community-based solutions that can inform action across the Greater Mekong Subregion.
The World Food Safety Day 2026 celebration in Viet Nam also featured a nationwide digital campaign promoting the Five Keys to Safer Food. Earlier activities were also held in Ho Chi Minh City, where nearly 400 students from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Vietnam (RMIT) University took part in a food safety communication challenge.
The initiative was made possible with support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea, and the CGIAR Science Program on Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF).
About Mekong CREATES
Mekong CREATES, or Mekong Capacity-Building for Resilient and Enhanced Agricultural Technologies and Food Systems, is implemented by Mekong Institute with support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The project works with partners in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam to strengthen capacity, collaboration, and practical action for safer, more resilient, and more sustainable agrifood systems.
