On October 4 and 5, USSEC Indonesia Technical Consultant Dr. Dadi Maskar was invited by the Health Polytechnic Medan and University of Sumatera Utara, North Sumatera Province to deliver a general stadium lecture on food safety and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). The lecture was attended by 160 participants: lecturers and college students of the nutrition department at the Health Polytechnic Medan. The objective of the seminar was to provide participants with the latest industry-related developments and knowledge prior to their graduation to serve the community in the health services.
Dr. Maskar’s presentation was titled “Food Safety & Implementation of HACCP System in the Tempe Production.” He explained the reliable and sustainable quality of U.S. Soy as an important aspect in the tempe industry development in Indonesia. He shared the success story of Rumah Tempe Indonesia, a pilot tempe production house in implementing HACCP system in tempe production. He also explained the fact that soy food products, such as tempe, tofu, miso, and soymilk have been playing an important role in providing a good and affordable protein source for many Asian populations, not just in Indonesia. For Indonesia, tempe plays important roles both for economic and health reasons. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 tempe producers spread throughout Indonesia’s provinces.
Health Polytechnic Medan graduates about 300 health professionals annually. These educational sessions targeting nutrition college students is an effective channel to promote soy food consumption as they in turn will convey these same messages to the general population when they serve in the health services.