National capacity of Thailand with

regard to standards activities both Codex and National

Panpilad Saikaew

National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standrds

National Training Workshop on Strengthening Food Standard Setting and Participation in Codex activities in Cambodia

19 – 21 February 2014

Outline

• Structure and responsibilities of ACFS

• Food Act and Agricultural Standards Act

• Elaboration of standard

• Thai Agricultural Standards – Commodity standard

– System standard

– General standard

• Thailand and Codex

- Working Process for Codex Standard Setting of Thai CCP

- participation in Codex

Structure of ACFS

Our responsibilities

• Standard setting for agricultural systems, commodity and food items, and food safety

• Accreditation of certification bodies

• Dialogue and negotiation with international trade partners on disputes concerning SPS/TBT issues

• Food standard control

• Promotion of standard compliance for farms and food establishments

• National information center for agricultural and food standards and also acts as the focal point for WTO-SPS/TBT, Codex and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

• Food production, mainly primary production (safety + quality)

• Standard of food in trade, mainly export

• Food security

• Consumer protection

(safety + quality)

• Some parts of food

production related to

consumer protection

• Food import

• Domestic market including food service

Ministry of Agriculture and

Cooperatives: Production based

Ministry of Public Health: Health based

National Agencies in charge of Food control

Food Act 1979

• Regulated by Ministry of Public Health

(MOPH), Food and Drug Administration

(FDA)

• Registration of food establishments

• Establish regulations on specific foods

• Control of food sold domestically or

imported foods

• Control of food labelling and food advertising

• Effective on 20 August 2008

• The Agricultural Standards Committee is a statutory body in charge of policy

• Enforced by the National Bureau of

Agricultural Commodity and Food

Standards (ACFS) , Ministry of Agriculture

and Cooperative (MOAC)

Agricultural Standards Act 2008

• Mandatory standards:

– license required for production, export or import

– require inspection / certification by approved CB

• Voluntary standards:

– license not required

– inspection / certification on voluntary basis

• The uses of certification mark for both types of standards are controlled by law

Agricultural Standards Act 2008

-hazard ID

-hazard

characterization

-exposure

assessment

-risk

characterization

Risk Assessor -scientific based result

-uncertainties

Risk Manager

• consumer benefits

• impacts on economy and society

• stakeholder input

Risk assessment policy

* Risk communication at all steps

Risk Analysis -Risk evaluation

-Option assessment

-Implementation

-Monitoring/review

ACFS

- Farmers

- Processors

- Scientists

- Consumers

Products Consumers

National Standards

Standard Setting

System standard

Commodity Standard

General Standard

Focal Points

(Codex, OIE, IPPC)

9 Steps

Standard Elaboration

2) Appoint a technical committee to consider draft

1) Prioritization of issues or items be standardized

3) Set up the draft standard

6) Submit to the Agricultural Standards Committee

5) Hearing of opinion from all stakeholders

4) Propose to the technical committee for consideration

7) Notify to WTO notify other countries (in case of mandatory standards)

8) Declare in the Royal Gazette

9) Consider review of the standard when appropriate

Elaboration of standard

Standard for the whole food chain

Farm Industry Product

GAP

GMP/

HACCP

Product standard

(Safety & Quality)

Type of Standards

• Commodity standards e.g. longan, mango,

asparagus, rice, chicken meat

• System standards e.g. GAP, GHP, GMP,

Organic Agriculture

• General standards (mainly on food safety)

e.g. MRL for pesticides, ML for

contaminants, methods of analysis

Commodity standard

Layout

• Scope

• Definitions

• Quality

– Minimum requirement

– Classification

• Sizing

• Tolerances

• Packaging

• Contaminants

• Pesticide residues

• Hygiene

• Marking and labelling

• Official inspection or

certification mark

• Methods of analysis and sampling

Commodity standard (cont.)

• Live and raw bivalve molluscs

• Germinated brown rice

• Sapodilla

• Coconut

• Sweet corn

• Java apple

• Guava

• Soft Shell Mud Crab

System standard

• Good Agricultural

Practices

• Good Manufacturing

Practices

• Organic Agriculture

Layout

• Scope

• Definitions

• Requirements and

inspection methods

• Judgment criteria

Standards on Good Agricultural Practices: GAP

• For crop production

– GAP for Food Crops - general standards for all food crops

– GAP for Longan, Asparagus, Okra, Chili, Thai Hom Mali (Jasmine) Rice, Orchid

• For livestock

– GAP for Cattle Farm, Bee Farm, Duck Farm, Broiler Farm

• For aquaculture

– GAP for Tilapia (fresh water fish), Shrimp

Standards on Good Manufacturing Practices: GMP

• General Principles of Food Hygiene

• Slaughter house – General, Poultry, Pig

• Packing house – Fresh Fruits &

Vegetables

• Rice mill

• Milk collecting center

• Processing of Fishery products

• Wood Packaging for export

• Organic Agriculture/Production

• Organic Produce/Product

• Labelling of Organic Produce/Product

• Such as

– The Production Processing Labelling and

Marketing of Organic Agriculture

– Organic Livestock

– Organic Snakeskin Gourami

Organic Agriculture

General standard

• Pesticide Residues : Maximum Residue

Limits

• Methodologies for Sampling of

Consignments for Phytosanitary

Inspection

• Code of Practice for Control of the use of

Veterinary Drugs

• Diagnosis Of Avian Influenza

Utilization of the standard

For Production (farmer & industry)

: Production practice – GAP, GHP, GMP

: Commodity specification – commodity/general standards

For Trade

: Trading specification - commodity/general standards

For Certification/Inspection

: System certification - GAP, GHP, GMP, Organic

: Product certification – combination of all standard types

Thailand and Codex

Food Quality and Safety: Key Factors

• National Standard Development

• Standards implementation/enforcement

• Application of risk analysis principles

• Education and communication (governments,

academia, industries, farmers, consumers)

• Active participation in Codex and other

international meetings

Thailand and Codex

• Codex established since 1963

– This year is the Codex Golden Jubilee Year

• Thailand is one of 30 countries that became the

member of Codex since the establishment in

1963

• Thailand Codex Contact Point also cerebrated

Codex Golden Jubilee in Thailand on 28 May

2013

Codex Contact Point of Thailand

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives

DOA DLD DOF

National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS)

Office of

Standards Policy

Office of

Standard Control

Office of

Standard Development

Office of

Standard Accreditation

CCP Thailand

Working Process for Codex Standard Setting of Thai CCP

National Agricultural Standard Committee

Sub-committee on Policy

and General Principles

4 Sub-Committees

on Commodity Standards

10 Sub-Committees on

General Subject

Standards

Governing body

and policy setting

Members of Sub-Committees

• Governments (Agriculture, Health, Trade, Consumer Protection)

• Academics/Experts

• Industries

Thailand Woking Process for Consideration of Codex Draft Standard

Preparing/gathering/studying information

Receiving issues from

Codex and considering priority

Reply

comments to Codex

Sub-Committee meetings

Participating in Codex meeting

Report the result of the meeting

Prioritized issues,

requiring participation

in Codex meeting

and/or providing

comments

Information/Opinion for

consideration by the Sub-

Committee

Meeting report/Sub-

Committee position

Comments/Information

Thai delegation

Thai position

Meeting report

Meeting report/document

for publication (relevant

agencies/website)

Insufficien

t

information

In case of Incorrect

information, verify with Meeting report

Outcomes Processes/contents

Participation in Codex Standard Setting

• Provide written comments

• Participate and providing comments in

Commission/Committee/Task Force

• Participate in working group (physical/electronic)

• Prepare discussion paper for setting

new standard proposed to Codex

• Submit scientific data for utilization in the elaboration of

Codex standards (e.g. consumption data, supervised

residue trial data)

• Host Committee/ Task Force/ Physical

working group meetings

• Adopt Codex standards as

national standards

Draft Codex Standards initiated by Thailand

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

– Standard for Rambutan

– Standard for Durian (Draft)

• Processed Fruits and Vegetables

– Standard for Pickled Fruits and Vegetables

– Standard for Bamboo shoots

– Asian Regional Standard for Chili sauce

• Fats and Oils

– Analysis methods of fat in coconut milk

– Amendment of Standard for Rice Bran Oil

• Fish and Fishery Products

– Standard for Fish Sauce & Code of Practice for Fish Sauce

– Nitrogen factor of tilapia in Standard for Quick Frozen Fish Sticks (Fish Fingers)

• Pesticide Residues

– Study for the establishment of approximately 30 MRLs

– Co-chair of the CCPR Working Group on Minor Uses and Specialty Crops

Thailand as a host country for Codex meetings

• 34th Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in 2001

• 28th CCNSFDU in 2006

• 20th CCFICS in 2013

• 7th, 11th, and 12th CCASIA in 1990, 1997, 1999

• Chaired the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental

Task Force on the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods in 2008

Adoption of Codex Standards as National Standards

• Thailand has adopted Codex Standards as national

standards e.g.

– Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene

– Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Application In the

Framework of the Codex Alimentarius

– Principles for the Establishment and Application of

Microbiological Criteria for Foods

– Principles for the Risk Analysis of Foods Derived from

Modern Biotechnology

– Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of

Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants

Thailand has adapted Codex Standards to national standards, such as

Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods

Principles for Traceability / Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection and Certification System

Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products

Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Adaptation of Codex Standards as National Standards

Summary

Thailand was a member of Codex since

establishment in 1963

Active participation in Codex working

processes at global, regional and national

is an exceptional learning experience

Adoption and implementation of Codex

standards have been beneficial to

consumer protection and enhancement of

domestic and international food trades