End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
Mahidol University continually promotes healthy and nutritious food consumption to the public. Shops in the MU Cafeteria must pass adherence and following the procedures of the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health standards. All shop owners and cafeteria staff must also undergo a training course on hygiene annually. The food shops will also undergo random food-sampling tests and an assessment of service standards, for example, processing food with consideration for the environment, cleanliness, and fair prices. The canteens also offer an alternative restaurant for vegetarian and halal diets. Mahidol University, being an eco-university, promotes sustainable agriculture to create food stability for the community through various projects, such as the "MUNA SMART FARM" at the Nakhon Sawan campus, a networking center for students and the local community. The project offers consultation services in agriculture and marketing, and the certification of products that meet organic standards under the patented trademark “MU ORGANIC”. In addition, a safe vegetables and fruits consumption project collaborates between the University and Ban Pracha Samakkee School, Bang Khian Subdistrict, Chum Saeng District, Nakhon Sawan Province, with the support of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Nakhon Sawan Health Promotion Team. The School is the “Center” for food safety, where students and community volunteers grow safe vegetables and fruits. To promote the project to other communities, they create a “Community Safety Food Map”. To improve the quality of life through safe food consumption, the Faculty of Medical Technology has operated and developed a safe agricultural products project since 2018, including "Safe Agriculture" certification - the standard test of agricultural products from pesticide-free plots using highly sensitive, specific analytical techniques, such as GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. The project is being conducted in 8 provinces of central Thailand: Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, and Prachuap Khiri Khan. The Faculty has developed standards for the quality assurance of agricultural products and food safety, by randomly examining fruits and vegetables with modern scientific equipment. Safe agricultural products will receive the “MUMT Recommended” logo to certify product quality. As a result, safe agricultural products are being delivered to 9 hospitals in Nakhon Pathom Province and expanded to another 66 hospitals and 11 schools. The products are also available at fresh markets. The Faculty of Medical Technology has signed a MOU agreement with the agriculture industry to expand safe food for general consumers, on an area of 10.5 rai at the 17th Military District, Kanchanaburi Province, as part of the project "Green Army, Green Farmer for the nation and the people". The University has supported research to increase commercial products, such as research on biomolecules to stimulate spawning in shrimp brood-stock without cutting the shrimps’ eyes, and research on transgender lobster MU1 at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences. These two research programs are increasing the supply of shrimp to the industry. Amnat Charoen Campus has launched the "Rice as Medicine" project by cultivating organic Sinlek rice that is high in iron, and organic brown RD43 rice with low sugar content. Both rice varieties are good for health and suitable for diabetic patients. Importantly, the process of cultivation is eco-friendly and toxin-free. Thus, the project helps to conserve natural resources and serves as a model for sustainable agricultural development.
