BANGKOK, 10 June 2011– The Department of Export Promotion (DEP) has warned Thai entrepreneurs and exporters to pay attention to the quality and safety of their products in the wake of the current outbreak of the new E. coli strain in Europe.
DEP Director-General Nuntawan Sakuntanaga said many countries have banned imports of fruits and vegetables from Europe where some crops are found contaminated with the new enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, leading to haemolytic-uraemic syndrome and death.
Ms Nuntawan hence alerted Thai entrepreneurs and exporters to the toxic E. coli spread and the importance of the quality and safety of their products; otherwise, they might find themselves at a disadvantage.
The director-general noted that developed counties might take this opportunity to impose non-tariff measures related to environmental as well as sanitary and phytosanitary protection, making exports even more difficult to those countries.
Ms Nuntawan also suggested that entrepreneurs should focus on every step of the production process, even before planting to the storage, packaging and distribution systems, in an effort to enhance confidence for Thai food exports as well as create wider trading opportunity for the country.
