Exploratory research for processed food manufacturers food testing methods used, pain-points and improvement areas.

Abstract

Food Safety is one of the main components of the Food Industry. With the passage of time, changing consumer expectations, higher regulatory requirements and newly discovered harmful pathogens and microbes have made the Food Safety Testing more important than ever for the industry. Safe food production is complex and much needs to be done in Food Safety Testing (IFT, 2002). A leading engineering MNC (here by referred as CoX.) wants to contribute its share in Food Safety by knowing methods that are employed by food manufacturers in food testing and then finding the pain points of food producers when they use the food testing services and how can these pain points can be solved. This is the bases of this paper. CoX Thailand asked CMMU to collaborate with them on this exploratory research project and the findings of this paper are part of that collaboration. For this paper, a total of 7 interviews were conducted. The interviewees are all professionals connected to the food industry, performing different functions. They were selected to get cross-section views of the food industry in Thailand. CoX wanted to see if there is a need in the food industry for all in one automatic lab tool to conduct food test at the food production site and decrease time lost during normal procedural testing. The result from interviews shows that exporters of food products have to do 3rd party lab food testing as it’s required by regulation and having a technological tool in-house will not change the procedure. In the end, recommendations have been suggested on how the technology can still be used to make food testing more efficient.