Dr. Parinyasiri stated that new standards in food packaging could pose
a major challenge to many countries, since they imply a substantial
increase in costs. She remarked that the food industry in Thailand is
concentrated in the small scale sector, which accounts for 80 per cent
of the market. During her keynote address, she cited the example of
Indonesia, where bar coding of food products was integrated with an
online database enabling consumers to access all information about any
food product.
Dr. Parinyasiri also explained how the FDA in Thailand was
using social networking and marketing to help consumers arrive at a
decision on food related issues. She stated that FDA has involved
younger people so that they are able to communicate to the populace in
a more effective manner. “Earlier, people used to come to FDA, while
now FDA goes to people,” she said. FDA campaigns are targeting schools
by using a vast array of activities like quiz contests to engage the
younger audience. She also discussed the “butterfly model” for
networking, which was being implemented in FDA.
Speaking at the conference, Prof. Said Irandoust, President, AIT
highlighted the role that AIT was playing in the field of food and
bioprocess technology. Prof. Sudip Kumar Rakshit, Vice President –
Research presented a futuristic scenario in his talk “Bio-fuels and
food security – moving forward”. Earlier, Prof. Athapol Noomhorm of
School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), who is the
conference chair welcomed all delegates. Dr. Anil Kumar Anal of SERD,
thanked Dr. Parinyasiri for her thought provoking address.
