การศึกษาเพื่อแก้ปัญหาสารพิษตกค้างในพืชอาหารของประเทศไทย

บทคัดย่อ

The world food trade today lays heavy emphasis on food safety. If Thailand, a major food exporter in the world, cannot develop the countrys food production system that yields a truly secure product, a negative impact on trade will likely occur in the near term. Therefore, a proactive policy solution for toxic residues in food is vital. Government sustained support in budget and manpower is needed to address the problem. Collaboration of government and all related sectors is required. The agricultural sector is responsible for the quality of the products produced and must meet the standard. Government agencies provide access to support and develop the potential of farmers to produce in accordance with standard practices in agriculture (Good Agricultural Practice; GAP, organic farming) to yield the level of residues of toxic substances in accordance with safety standards for health. Measures must be taken to promote cultivation to reduce the risk of damage to crops. Clarity and transparency in government and creation of market mechanisms will benefit the farmers who through skills development can sell safe product at prices worth the investment. It is the responsibility of state agencies to promote farmer groups with knowledge of the production process that develops affordable inputs that are of good quality and safe to use in cultivation. They can also support the development of pest resistant crop varieties to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals and take measures among farmers to create a positive attitude to produce safe food. The agencies need to support farmers not only with academic knowledge of production but also with the capacity to coordinate with related local agencies. The policy of safe food enforcement must occur along the entire length of the food production chain. Distributors of food must widen their understanding of the effect on consumers and conditions created that make investment in safe food possible. Lowered investment and the development of agricultural groups for development of production and distribution that is convenient for purchasing such as at depots and warehouses. For food manufacturers and processors, emphasis must be laid on purchase of safe, quality labeled products since this group is the largest user of product and affect the market trends greatly. Support for farm groups attempting to meet food safety standards must help them reduce the cost of quality control since there is an agency that supervises and monitors this standard to assure a standard quality of product. Therefore proponents of standards must build recognition for food labeling among consumers. Information media can be used to inform and raise awareness for safe food production in all sectors of society. Supervision by the government therefore must build participation and enforce standards legally to bring about food safety acceptance and compliance. Support for credit, logistics, accurate knowledge and appropriate technology will create proper food safety attitudes, build competency among farmers, distributors, producers and consumers. The food production that is safe will thereby be enabled to solve problems of of toxic residues in food in Thailand. This will protect consumer health from toxic residue in food that are factors in many of the worst diseases while at the same time improving product quality for the majority.

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