By: Nurul Ezzaty Mohd Azhari
Photo: Sabri Omar

SERDANG, 13 June – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the Department of National Heritage (JWN) organised for the very first time a workshop on ASEAN heritage food packaging sustainability and commercialisation for the world market.

The workshop themed 'Globalising ASEAN Heritage Food' focused on the importance of preserving heritage food packaging techniques and exploring opportunities to market these unique food products in the global market in creating economic growth opportunities for the region's food industry.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, said that food is a tool that connects visitors with cultural and national heritage.

"Tourists learn about a country's heritage food culture by enjoying the food served.

"Continuous efforts must be taken to protect the sustainability of the country's food heritage through proper packaging and commercialisation strategies," he said.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof. Dr. Nazamid Saari said sustainable solutions in food packaging and commercialisation are important to preserve and promote heritage food as consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable options in food use.

“The use of sustainable food packaging offers many benefits, such as helping to protect the environment by reducing waste and encouraging the use of renewable resources.

"To support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a lot of research is being carried out at UPM's Faculty of Food Science and Technology (FSTM), which aims to improve the overall effectiveness of packaging, reduce the environmental impact of packaging, and minimise packaging waste," he said.

The collaboration between UPM and JWN indirectly supports UPM’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025 goal two, which is to Establish a Research and Innovation Hub that Generate Value Based on a Sustainable Ecosystem, and goal four, Strengthening Agriculture and Food Security Resilience.

Meanwhile, a participant from Suan Dusit University, Thailand, Dr. Niphatchanok Najpinji, 54, said this workshop provided exposure to food packaging technology used in neighbouring countries, namely the ASEAN countries.

"So far, I have enjoyed participating in this workshop because I was able to build a new network in this field and see what technology other countries are using for food packaging and preserving their respective country's heritage," he said.

Interestingly, each workshop participant will learn various traditional packaging methods used in ASEAN countries, including the selection of packaging materials, wrapping techniques, and the importance of packaging design in addition to marketing strategies and the promotion of heritage food products internationally.

Besides that, experts and practitioners of heritage food packaging will be sharing their knowledge and experience in this field as well as discussing challenges and opportunities in preserving and promoting traditional packaging methods.

In addition to Malaysia, this workshop is also attended by two representatives from each ASEAN country, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. - UPM

Date of Input: 16/06/2023 | Updated: 21/06/2023 | hairul_nizam