Implementing Ethical Sourcing Policies: Promoting Sustainable Food Production and Consumption

18Oct 2024 by Kittipong Bunlear

Sustainability and Stewardship

Walailak University places great importance on ensuring the quality of services, food, and the efficiency of food distribution to consumers, including students, staff, and external individuals who sell food in the university restaurants. The university focuses on establishing standards and processes for controlling the quality of food service to provide guidelines for food vendors and restaurants. This includes fostering an understanding of food hygiene principles (according to the Department of Health’s regulations), managing food outlets, maintaining service standards, and ensuring compliance with rules and other guidelines. These efforts are aimed at ensuring that food service follows proper food hygiene practices, providing consumers with confidence that they are consuming high-quality and safe food in accordance with these standards.

Walailak University has consistently implemented practices related to food preparation and sustainable consumption within the university. In 2022, a formal policy on food preparation and sustainable consumption within Walailak University was created and officially announced. Since its official implementation, the university has continued to carry out these practices with dedication and consistency up to the present day.

In 2023, the university implemented an ethical sourcing policy of food and supplies to guide food vendors, stores, and markets within the university, as well as external suppliers, to ensure the quality of service and food provided to consumers, including students and staff. The policy outlines practices for vendors in sourcing food and using high-quality, safe, and sustainable ingredients, as follows:

1. 1. Meat and animal products, including seafood, should be derived from qualified farms certified by reliable agencies, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
  2. Sources of processed seafood, aquatic animals and products must not involve those in conflict with the European Union’s guidelines on illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, destructive fishing practices, overfishing practices, use of forced and child labor or unfair employment of labor in the seafood supply.
  3. Environmentally and socially friendly transportation of uncontaminated meat, including animal and aquatic products, must be ensured.
  4. Food service provides must attach great importance to the principles of food hygiene and safety in all steps of food production: cleaning, raw material storage, hygienic care of cooking utensils and packaging, cooking, and distribution.
  5. Nontoxic fruits and vegetables should be seasonal products, locally farmed by neighboring communities, and cultivated with good agricultural practices.
  6. All of the food service providers on campus must attend the food safety orientation organized by the Center of Walailak University Property Management.

In 2023, Walailak University implemented its ethical sourcing policy by establishing internal food production facilities within the university. These facilities have been continuously developed using technology and innovation to ensure to ensure that the products being sourced are obtained in a responsible and sustainable way for the university’s population. This initiative supports sustainable practices and contributes to the university’s efforts to provide ethically sourced food to students and staff.

1. Walailak University Smart Farm Center 

The center sells agricultural products from fruit tree projects and a demonstration farm for raising pigs and laying hens in a fully automated closed system (Green Farm). This farm follows international standards under a closed system (EVAP) and operates as an eco-friendly farm that is both community- and environment-friendly, aligning with the existence of a policy on ethical sourcing of food and supplies. It adheres to the standards of a green farm, offering affordable and safe products free of chemical residues. These products are available to students, university staff, and the surrounding community.

2. The Royal Initiative Discovery and Agriculture Innovation Development Center (Kla Dee Store)

The School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry at Walailak University operates the Royal Initiative Discovery and Agriculture Innovation Development Center, focusing on organic farming methods. The center emphasizes proper post-harvest management, product processing, and the sale of produce and processed products, ensuring adequate income in both quantity and timing. The center also collaborates with a network of interested farmers to market their products. The production areas are divided into four main sectors:

1. Plant sector: This includes the production of organic vegetables, utilizing innovations such as netted vegetable cultivation, vertical farming innovation, water-saving rice cultivation innovation, and the cultivation of organic fruit trees, herbs, passion fruit, grapes, melons, and oil palms, as well as seed development and production.

2. Livestock sector: This involves raising livestock for economic purposes using organic animal feed. The center conducts tests on raising economic animals with organic feed, including dairy goats, broiler chickens, and laying ducks, alongside integrated fish farming.

3. Fisheries sector: This involves the farming of red tilapia in cages, testing innovations such as automatic fish feeders powered by solar energy. It also integrates aquaponics, which combines plant cultivation with aquaculture.

4. Processing sector: This involves processing products from the center for commercial sale. The products include tilapia sausage, salted eggs, fresh vegetables, gac fruit ice cream, gac fruit yogurt, and fruit cider/vinegar. These products are sold through the “Kla-Dee” store, a mock company operated by the student club from the School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry.

In 2023, The Royal Initiative Discovery and Agriculture Innovation Development Center (Kla Dee Store) operated in the areas of plant cultivation, livestock, fisheries, and agricultural product processing. The center supports and provides safe food to both the university community and the surrounding public. The center’s agricultural products have gained popularity and generated income, attracting around 300 customers per month.

Sufficiency Economy Learning Center, Chumchon Mai School

Walailak University, in collaboration with Chumchon Mai School, established the Sufficiency Economy Model Learning Center based on the late King’s philosophy. The center provides education in agricultural activities such as growing vegetables and fruit trees, cultivating oyster mushrooms, and raising livestock for consumption. These activities instill self-reliance in students and youth in the area, while also generating income during their studies. The center plays a key role in agricultural education, promoting food security, and raising awareness among students on how to manage and sell their produce for income. Furthermore, the knowledge gained can be passed on to parents and local communities to apply in household-level occupations.

The university emphasizes the establishment of standards and processes for controlling the quality of food service. These guidelines are provided to food vendors and restaurants, ensuring an understanding of food hygiene principles, management of food outlets, service standards, and quality control, as well as adherence to rules and other practices set by the university. This ensures that food service follows food hygiene standards, providing consumers with confidence that they are consuming high-quality and safe food. The university also requires food vendors and restaurant operators to undergo annual training with the Department of Health. This policy extends to various markets within the university, such as BOTA Market Chic & Chill (Thursday’s Green Market Chic & Chill), Jan Pradoo Market, and the community shops. The emphasis on sustainable food preparation and consumption practices ensures a model for sustainable production and consumption for the future.