Launched a month ago as an initiative of Kasetsart University professor Decharut Sukkumnoed, the campaign for direct rice sales is proving popular with farmers. It also provides a rare opportunity for consumers to talk with food producers directly and learn exactly where the rice on their plates comes from and how it got there.
This is a positive move for traceability of food in Thailand, where most people remain in the dark over its origin or production, with useful information usually limited to the expiry date.
Traceability depends on the easy availability of information on where and how a product was made. The principle and practice is well established in many Western countries. In 2005 the European Union enforced a regulation that requires all food products to be labelled with a serial number so that consumers can trace the origins and methods of production.
Enshrining traceability in law this way would benefit Thailand in several ways. The most obvious would be that it allows consumers to find food products that suit their taste.
More significant still, traceability can boost justice and sustainability in food production by making it transparent. Consumers can then exercise their judgement and buying power to effectively force improvements in the supply chain, which naturally have a positive impact on wider society.
Direct rice sales offer a good example, since they give consumers direct access to the farmers and where the product comes from. The farmers benefit by being able to sell their crop at a higher price than the meagre return currently offered by the market.
Traceability can also provide consumers with information on which retailers are offering farmers a fair wholesale price.
It offers a solution to other issues, too, for example enabling consumers to choose organic food for their health and thereby support environmentally friendly organic farms.
Those concerned about environmental issues can choose food that’s produced locally so as to cut down the carbon footprint generated by transportation.
They can reduce animal cruelty in the food industry by buying meat reared on free-range farms. They can also help ensure sustainability and an end to forced labour in the seafood sector by buying products traceable to non-destructive fishing methods and properly governed boats and factories.
Unfortunately, Thailand has yet to harvest the benefits of traceability, but that will change if enough people demand transparency in our food industry.
It is time that the government introduced regulations to support this practice. If Thailand wants to be a kitchen of the world, then the next step is to provide a window so that everyone can see exactly how its food is produced.