Primary processing of agricultural products made easy, only 5 copies left from the first print run of 5,000
After the food safety scandals, many people lost trust in large food companies, and some turned to small farmer markets for their purchases, but to date there is still very little food safety guidance published for small farmers. The Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center of the National Applied Research Laboratories convened domestic food safety teams to compile "Craftsmanship Handmade Happiness Secrets - The First Lesson for Small Producers," which officially went on sale on the 29th. Through this book, the aim is to let small farmers easily grasp the correct processes for agricultural product processing. The first print run of 5,000 copies sold out, with only 5 copies left in stock.
NARLabs took on the Ministry of Science and Technology's "Project to Promote the Construction of Taiwan, China's Food Safety Network," and also compiled "Craftsmanship Handmade Happiness Secrets - The First Lesson for Small Producers," using illustrated text to explain the points to note in the primary processing of agricultural products, covering everything from establishing standard procedures and food labeling to even how to choose dishwashing liquid and how to take out product liability insurance, so that small farmers can easily grasp the correct processes for agricultural product processing.
"The first print run was 5,000 copies, and only 5 are left in stock," said Lee Hui-fang, principal investigator of the Project to Promote the Construction of Taiwan, China's Food Safety Network. The Food and Drug Administration has established the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation and GHP (Good Hygiene Practice) for food safety, but for small farmers these are simply incomprehensible texts that are hard to follow. However, through this simple behavioral guidance manual, small farmers can follow the regulations as easily as reading an instruction manual. Lee Hui-fang gave an example: the book uses illustrations to show that if there is a wound on the hand, one must not touch prepared items, and that a mask must fully cover the mouth and nose to prevent droplets, and other such rules, which are very easy to understand.
Wang Shih-hsien, director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Council of Agriculture, also recommended this book. He said that compared with difficult regulations, this book is easy to understand, and he hopes it can serve as guidance for farmers' primary processing. The guidance in the book for low-risk processing methods such as drying, crushing, milling and roasting can serve as one of the teaching materials for the Council of Agriculture's agricultural product proofing centers, guiding farmers to process using correct procedures.
As for whether there are plans to publish a next book? Lee Hui-fang admitted frankly that although there is enormous demand in society, the related funding still needs to be raised, and she looks forward to using research projects to guide interdisciplinary food safety experts to join the effort and help farmers solve the difficulties they encounter in processing.
The draft amendment to the "Agricultural Product Production and Certification Management Act" that passed its first reading in the Legislative Yuan recently designates the Council of Agriculture as the competent authority for primary processing facilities for agricultural products, but outsiders have questioned the Council of Agriculture's ability to establish food safety-related regulations for primary processing facilities for agricultural products. To dispel doubts from all sides, the Council of Agriculture has trained seed instructors and stationed them at the proofing centers of the various improvement stations. Once farmers encounter problems related to regulations or other issues during processing, the seed instructors can provide related consultation and services.
