Working as a Pharmacist at a Bakery?! Yes, Please!

Today, we had a delicious day learning about Thai pharmacists' roles in consumer protection activities!  Our educators, from the Chiang Mai Provincial Health Office, explained that pharmacists have a vital role in food safety, consumer education, and regulatory affairs.

In addition to their responsibilities as clinical pharmacists, many practitioners are also agents of the Chiang Mai FDA.  These workers are equipped with further training and extensive proprietary knowledge of district laws and regulations.  Pharmacists must perform annual audits to ensure that local companies are Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified.  Visiting assigned facilities within their district, they check one sample per batch for quality control to ensure that temperature, steam content, color, and other quality criteria are appropriately met.

(Here is the group all gowned up and ready to learn!)

(From left to right: Jenifer DeNormandie, Nicole DaSilva, Kimberly Han, Alison Navarro, Maura Brennan, Daniel Jaracz, Kristy Nguyen, and Christina Andros)

(UNE and WNE learning about pharmacists' roles in consumer protection)

Today, we visited Fai Bakery to apply our new knowledge of consumer protection concepts!  Established in 1939, Fai Bakery has been GMP certified for ten years and counting, epitomizing food quality, safety, and service.  At Fai Bakery, we toured the facilities in which the company bake, cool, and package their goods.  These baked treats are made with no preservatives, stored in a 25 degree Celsius warehouse, and are sold within three days of production to ensure fresh products for their consumers.  Their operations is both sustainable and socially responsibly, discarding waste to local farms where livestock such as chickens, cows, and pigs can feast on the less fresh goods.

(Our educator demonstrating the transportation system of baked goods from production to cooling)

What started off as a family business, Fai Bakery is blossoming into a bigger company as one of the top brands of food and drink in Chiang Mai.  Currently, they have 18 established and successful branches, promoting good and healthy eating.  As their company grows, their development team is working to create and promote more health-conscious products into their selection.  Some treats are seen below:

(Fai Bakery treats, yummy!)

Next, we learn about consumer protection activities at a bee farm...