Following the successful completion of the Regional Training Program on Food Safety Management Tools in Food Manufacturing last year, Mekong Institute (MI), with support from New Zealand Aid Programme (NZAP), is once again organizing the aforementioned safe food course from August 14 to 18, and is being held at the MI Residential Training Center.
Aimed at building the technical capacity of participants on global food safety standards, the training program targets to enhance participants’ understanding of the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) based on Codex Alimentarius.
The course intends to strengthen the capacity of government officials in effectively implementing and monitoring food safety control programs in the food processing sector, as well as improve their ability in providing assistance to food processors in conforming to strict food safety requirements. The agro-food processors, on the other hand, are expected to identify the challenges they face in implementing food safety control mechanisms in their respective processing facilities and share those experiences in aid of food safety legislation in their country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Watcharas Leelawath, Executive Director of MI, underscored the importance of involving both the public and private sectors especially in involving food safety practices in the region. He explained that the project hopes to bridge these sectors to build up local capacity in adopting GMP and other related standards. Dr. Leelawath also related that one of the key features of the project is the continued support provided to participants through post-training outreach activities. He shared that the national knowledge sharing fora organized in partner countries in recent weeks have been useful in linking MI-FSP participants from different sectors.
The current safe food course has gathered 33 food safety stakeholders, including government representatives from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) who are responsible for developing food safety regulations as well as agri-food processing companies interested in adopting GMP.
