19 January 2021 - Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods) assures consumers that its meat and seafood products are all made following the strictest food safety guidelines and quality control measures from farm to table.

Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, Chief Executive Officer at CP Foods, stresses that those stringent practices help ensuring undisrupted and hygienic food supply chain in Thailand amid the new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Food security and safe food production is of the utmost importance to the company. As a result, the company has been strengthened and strictly implemented farm biosecurity that is at a world-class standards.

He explained that a strict biosecurity is used in all of CP Foods’ farms to reduce the risk of diseases entering or spreading disease, resulting undisrupted food production. Under this practice, all livestock have to be managed by all-in all-out practice. It means that the animals are moved in and out of each phase of production together in the same group throughout their lifetime without mixing animals with other groups at all.

In poultry business, CP Foods has applied the compartment model of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a part of a key measure to shield against the outbreak, such as avian influenza.

The compartment model has separated CP Foods’ animals from any birds and poultry outside the farm’s area. In addition, the company implements disease surveillance at farms and buffer zone of one kilometer radius from where the poultry farm is located to ensure distinct health status. Meanwhile, CCTVs are installed so that staffs can regularly monitor the behavior and wellbeing of animals in real-time. This practice also minimize risk of animal infection from a human contact.

Maintaining a good animal health is essential for food safety. Therefore, all CP Foods livestock farms are operated with the globally recognized “Five Freedoms” of animal welfare principle, that allow animals to be free from hungry and thirsty, discomfort, pain, injury and disease, fear and distress, and being able to express normal behavior. The principle allows animal to be healthy and, consequently, lowering chance of using antibiotic treatment.

At ​​aquaculture farms, the company applies “3-clean principles”, CP Foods’ farm innovative technique, consisting of contamination-free baby shrimps; treated water that is clean and low in sediment; and clean pond floors to limit possible diseases.

Such innovation also launched water treatment through Bio-floc technology. The bio-floc is a group of microbes capable of treating nitrogen solution produced from shrimp manure. The system reduces the need to change water in shrimp ponds, leading to 70% reduction of water consumption, compared to the conventional shrimp farming. Additionally, the company has applied Ultra Filtration (UF) technology to filter out small diseases in the water. These innovations significantly boost water quality, resulting shrimp to be healthy and totally antibiotic-free.

“Our products are made by the highest food safety standards. We operates our farms based on strict biosecurity measures to maintain healthy animals to help us supply nutritious foods to consumers worldwide without any disruption despite a global pandemic.” Mr. Prasit said.

CP Foods also elevates the highest safety measures in accordance with the guidelines of the government and of the Charoen Pokphand Group. Moreover, the company has implemented GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), GAP (Good Aquaculture Practice) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) standards to prevent all workers from the coronavirus infection. 

Mr. Prasit said that all employees must strictly follows these health and safety guidelines, including wearing a face mask, check-up the temperature before entering work, wash hands frequently with alcohol gel and keep social distancing all time. Additionally, all vehicles must be washed and disinfected. Raw materials, equipment and facilities in the production process are regularly and thoroughly cleaned.

CP Foods also cultivates a work from home scheme and imposes safety measures that warrant employees' hygiene no matter when they are at home, travel to and from office, work or eat. They must exercise social distancing and physical distancing. Employees must record their activities on CP Foods Connect application, for prompt risk assessment.

Farmers and partners in the supply chain are encouraged to follow the same policies to build a safe, single-standard and traceable production.