The Structured Program to Achieve Food Safety Excellence in Cambodia (SAFE Cambodia) initiative culminated with a Best Practice Forum held August 3, 2012 in Phnom Penh.
SAFE Cambodia is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative implemented by Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) along with TUV Rheinland and DEG. It seeks to instill mass awareness on international food safety and cleanliness standards amongst local SMEs operating in the agriculture and fishery industry. The target SMEs were introduced to the international supply chain model, the expectations of international buyers and the importance of improving the safety, hygiene and resource efficiency practices to protect the health of the local community and boost exports of agriculture and fishery products.
Through the forum, the Project Team hoped to gather lessons learned by pilot factories during the in-house technical assistance phase of the initiative.
TUV Rheinland Cambodia CEO Alexandra Herbel welcomed the participants, while ASSIST Project Manager Vy Truong presented a Project Overview and a quick report on the deliverables. Then, Yea Bunna of the National Productivity Center of Cambodia discussed the current situation of food safety in the country, and the challenges it faces in implementing the standards. Three best-performing pilot companies were also selected to share their experiences: The Fair Manufacturing Company (FMC), Men Sarun and Phnom Meas Association.
Finally, Project Consultant Odette Mangaban facilitated the open discussion among SMEs and provided advice on the implementation of food safety standards, especially how to keep the good practices after the project completion. In the afternoon, the Project Team arranged a tour for all participants to witness the FMC and Men Sarun on-site improvements in their factories, taking into account the project recommendations.
Thirty (30) SMEs from the food industry were represented in the event.
