Synergy Between Industry and Academia Strengthens Food Security Amid Climate Change
The global food industry is now confronted with dual challenges, namely the raw material crisis due to climate change and the increasing consumer awareness of health standards. In response to these dynamics, strengthening integrated industry strategies is essential to guarantee the quality and safety of products circulating in society.
This issue was raised in a public lecture titled “Food You Can Trust: Food Industry Strategies in Maintaining Product Quality and Safety to Increase Consumer Trust,” organised by the Faculty of Agriculture, Science, and Technology at Warmadewa University in Denpasar on Saturday (28/3).
The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Science, and Technology at Warmadewa University, Prof. Dr. Ir. Luh Suriati, M.Si., in her opening remarks at the public lecture, emphasised that this theme is highly urgent to dissect. According to her, the food industry must now be able to produce products that not only have high economic value but also meet strict safety standards.
“Climate change affecting raw material availability demands that the food industry develop strong and integrated strategies,” said Prof. Suriati.
In the context of strengthening the industry, Prof. Suriati underlined three key points as operational foundations. First, the consistent application of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Compliance with these production standards is affirmed not merely as an administrative formality, but as a moral responsibility towards consumer safety.
Second, strengthening food quality and safety management systems through regular audits and investment in human resources. Training workers is considered crucial to building a food safety culture that is ingrained in the production environment. Third, product information transparency. Clarity of information is seen as building public trust and increasing consumer literacy.
Furthermore, successfully maintaining food quality requires cross-sector collaboration involving academics, regulators, and industry players. Universities and research institutions play a vital role in providing technological innovations and quality testing. Meanwhile, the government is expected to provide consistent regulations to give certainty to business actors while protecting the public.
“Smart and aware consumers regarding food safety standards will drive industry players to continuously improve product quality. Therefore, accessible literacy campaigns need to be continuously implemented,” she added.
Meanwhile, food safety expert Ir. Ni Made Aryagandhi, who served as a speaker, emphasised the urgency of this issue by highlighting the high number of food poisoning cases in various regions. According to her, poisoning is often triggered by biological factors such as Salmonella and E. coli bacteria, chemical factors due to the use of Food Additives (BTP) that do not meet standards, to physical factors such as contamination from glass shards, iron, or hair.
“Food safety issues are crucial amid fierce global market competition. Our products will not be able to compete if quality consistency and nutritional content are neglected, or even if consumers are manipulated,” Aryagandhi asserted.
She added that to gain international consumer trust, the industry must ensure products are truly free from the three main hazards: biological, chemical, and physical. Control of this begins with selecting quality raw materials because poor raw materials cannot possibly produce safe and quality end products.
In addition to technical factors, Aryagandhi highlighted the biggest challenge in the food industry as worker behaviour or personal hygiene. Changing individual habits to be disciplined in handwashing, using head coverings, to reporting when ill requires time and consistent education.
“These personal habits are very vital because the risk of cross-contamination from employees is very high. This is a major challenge that I faced during my involvement in the food industry,” she revealed.