Malaysia successfully organise the 10th ASEAN Food Conference (uploaded on 31 August 2007)

The 10th ASEAN Food Conference (AFC) was successfully held from 21-23 August 2007 in Subang, Malaysia. The event, implemented by the Sub-Committee on Food Science and Technology (SCFST), was organized by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in collaboration with Federation of Institutes of Food Science and Technology in ASEAN (FIFSTA), Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysian Institute of Food Technology (MIFT), and University Putra Malaysia (UPM). The theme for the 10th AFC is Food for Mankind – Contribution of Science and Technology.

The event was attended by around 750 participants from 38 countries, with half of them came from overseas. ASEAN countries were well represented at the Conference with a total foreign participant of around 100. The other overseas participants came from all ASEAN Dialogue Countries except Russia, other Asian countries (e.g. Taiwan and Sri Lanka), Middle East (e.g. Bahrain, Oman, Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia), Europe (England, France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey) and Africa (e.g. Nigeria and South Africa). Representatives of private sector and international organisations (e.g. UNICEF and FAO) also participated.

Minister, Senior Government Officials, representatives of International Organisations and renown food technologists delivered the Keynote Speakers presenting insights, provoking thoughts and ideas on national and international efforts to address food scarcity, the need to strategise food industries in ASEAN, global issues in food standards and technology trends in food industries. Among the Keynote Speakers include H.E. Dr. Estrella Alabastro, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines, Prof. Dr. Fatimah Mohamed Arshad, Director of Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, University Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Prof. Dr. David Lineback, President of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).

A total of 135 and 350 papers and posters, respectively were presented at the Conference covering a range of topics such as enhancing food safety through risk assessment, food service and entrepreneurship, food processing and engineering, standards and regulations, halal food and functional food.

Other features of the event were the ASEAN Best Graduate Research Paper and ASEAN Undergraduate Quiz Bowl Competitions. Ms. Chan Kim Wei, a Masters student at the University Putra Malaysia and the Malaysian Team won both competitions.

The 11th AFC will be held in Brunei Darussalam in July 2009. (DT)