Chiang Rai Launches Safe Food System Model Across 18 Districts
Chiang Rai is launching a safe food system across all 18 districts, linking farmers, processors, and consumers to ensure food safety and community wellbeing. The initiative currently involves eight schools serving over 8,000 families, with
Chiang Rai Launches Safe Food System Model Across 18 Districts. Chiang Rai is advancing a safe food system for balanced wellbeing by connecting upstream producers, midstream processors, and downstream consumers across all 18 districts to build a sustainable food chain.
On September 8, Forward C Limited, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Chiang Rai Municipality, and partner organizations held the Chiang Rai Safe Food Forum under the project "Advancing Chiang Rai's Safe Food System for Balanced Wellbeing," supported by the Community Wellbeing Support Office (Office 3) and the Health Promotion Foundation.
The forum aims to make Chiang Rai's safe food system concrete and practical by linking farmers, local agencies, partners, and consumers, with plans to expand the initiative across all 18 districts.
Chucheep Phongchai, Chiang Rai Provincial Governor and opening ceremony chairman, said the forum represents cooperation to drive a safe food system and create balanced wellbeing for Chiang Rai residents, targeting all 18 districts. The key is connecting networks from producers to communities. He thanked Chiang Rai Municipality, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, the Community Wellbeing Support Office, the Health Promotion Foundation, and all partner organizations for their commitment to food safety and community wellbeing.
"Network coordination from producers to communities must prioritize farmers as the community foundation. Policy implementation through memoranda of understanding must lead to clear practical guidelines, not merely agreements on paper. All sectors must work with commitment and unity to build better quality of life and ensure the sustainability of Chiang Rai as a safe food city," said Chucheep.
The governor added that collaboration among all sectors will help farmers systematically connect to the safe food system mechanism, from production and management to community food access—a foundation for building Chiang Rai toward balanced wellbeing across all dimensions.
Wanchai Jongsuthananam, Chiang Rai Municipality Mayor, said promoting a safe food city is central to building public health by establishing a system across the entire food chain from upstream to midstream to downstream. Upstream supports farmers' financial stability and a transition to organic farming with technology, while midstream involves the municipality acting as a management hub ensuring fair market prices. Downstream ensures consumers access fresh, safe, quality food at fair prices.
Currently, eight schools have joined, covering over 8,000 families. The municipality has established internal mechanisms to manage financial and administrative issues and coordinate with educational institutions to verify product quality. The target is for Chiang Rai to serve as a model replicable in over 100 other communities in the future.
Wanchai noted that historically Chiang Rai faced limited opportunities and inequality, with an economy dependent mainly on agriculture, tourism, and border trade. The goal is to advance Chiang Rai toward becoming a "wellness city" where people enjoy good health, strength, and happiness through continued collaboration with the Health Promotion Foundation, which provides knowledge, budgets, and training support.
