News From : DagangHalal.com (22 Oct 2009)
Bandar Seri Begawan – Brunei has expressed interest in becoming a member of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), the global voice of food science and technology.
This was disclosed to the media on the sidelines of yesterday’s IUFoST dialogue at the 11th ASEAN Food Conference, through an email exchange between the relevant authorities of both parties.
“IUFoST can open a world of professional possibilities for its members in industry, scientific societies, academia and government by opening Food security on ASEAN agenda development in order to increase food productivity. In this regard, he called for ASEAN member states to work together towards the common goal.
ASEAN-COST representative Emir Rio Krishna outlined the conference’s main objectives. It aimed at providing opportunities for scientists working in the area of food science and technology as well as to discuss and exchange information on food development problems and solution.
It will also provide a platform to discuss the impact of developments in food science and technology on food safety, food security and global trade of Asian food.
The conference also ais to foster global networking and linkages between ASEAN member states as partners in food science and technology, in order to harmonise food standards in the region.
The first day of the conference yesterday saw the first plenary session held, during which Noel Shield, interim chief executive officer of Ghanim International Food Corporation Sdn Bhd delivered a presentation on the Brunei Halal Brand initiative.
Shield explained how Brunei’s status as a country where Islamic values dictated almost every aspect within the society provided the guarantee global halal consumers needed to assure them that the product is genuinely halal. He said that halal products were not limited to Muslim consumers.
“The potential non-Muslim consumer targets are those who are concerned with food security and food security,” he said.
He added that they were also ethical and environmental consumers as well as those who were concerned with trust in labelling.
These are some of the aspects are what the Brunei Halal Brand wishes to capitalise upon, Shield said.
With the theme for this year’s conference as “Food Science and Technology: Innovative Approaches and Opportunities for Global Market”, a total of 156 research papers will be presented during the conference, while an additional 295 will be posted up on a poster exhibition.
The three-day conference will touch on various aspects from food security, halal food to more specific sessions discussing topics such as “Seaweed and Health” and “Kinetics of palm syrup colour during storage”.
Student activities have also been scheduled to complement the conference. Among tese are the ASEAN Best Graduate Research Paper Competition, ASEAN Undergraduate Food Quiz Bowl Competition and ASEAN Best Product Award Competition.
— Courtesy of The Brunei Times