27/06/2025
AFACI AFCD+ Project Evaluation Workshop and Training on Food Composition Data
June 24-27, 2025 | Seda Nuvali Hotel, Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines
Food today is more than just sustenance—it plays a crucial role in promoting health and preventing disease. This shift underscores the importance of generating accurate and reliable information on food ingredients. In recognition of this, the Asian Food and Agricultural Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) of the Rural Development Administration (RDA, Korea), the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), and the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asian and Pacific Region brought together experts and stakeholders to advance regional efforts in building a sustainable food system that supports both human health and environmental well-being.
From June 24 to 27, 2025, these organizations co-hosted the AFACI AFCD+ Project Evaluation Workshop, Training, and Policy Forum at Seda Nuvali Hotel, Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines. The four-day event was also jointly organized with the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), bringing together researchers, policymakers, and technical specialists from across Asia to review project progress, share innovations, and strengthen collaboration on sustainable and nutritious food systems.
This multi-activity event is part of the AFCD+ Project (2024–2026), a regional effort under AFACI to improve the quality of Asian food composition databases and to promote healthy, sustainable diets through stronger food value chains.
The workshop was part of the AFCD+ Project – “Quality Improvement of the Asian Food Composition Database”, a three-year initiative (2024–2026) under AFACI, and also aligned with a broader seven-year program (2021–2027) aiming to build a comprehensive, accurate, and reliable food composition database for representative Asian foods. The project seeks to promote healthy diets and support sustainable public health strategies to combat malnutrition and diet-related diseases across Asia.
Day 1: Opening and Project Evaluation (June 24)
The event opened with remarks from Dr. Sooyun Park, AFACI Program Director, followed by congratulatory messages from Mr. Raymond Patrick L. Cabrera, OIC-Assistant Director of DA-BAR, and Dr. Susan Chang, Director of FFTC. The first day focused on evaluating the technical and administrative progress of the AFCD+ project during its first year of implementation. Participants reviewed achievements, discussed challenges, and identified areas for improvement. Technical experts from RDA, Ms. Younghee Park and Ms. Eunji Park, provided professional insights and recommendations for enhancing future implementation.
Day 2: AP Policy Forum – Enhancing Sustainable Food Value Chains and Healthy Diets (June 25)
Held in hybrid format on June 25, the Asia-Pacific Policy Forum, co-organized by RDA-AFACI, DOST-PCAARRD, and FFTC, focused on strengthening food value chains that support both human and environmental health. Under the theme “Enhancing Sustainable Food Value Chains and Healthy Diets”, the forum invited nine international experts from seven countries, who presented in three thematic sessions:
Consumer Awareness and Choices for Sustainable Healthy Diets – including topics such as food labeling, dietary diversification, and applications of food composition data.
Affordability of Sustainable Healthy Food – addressing policy mechanisms for food purchasing support, school meals, community gardens, and social feeding programs.
Sustainability of Food Value Chains – showcasing innovations in cold chains, low-carbon logistics, and energy-efficient food production systems.
The forum brought together over 25 field specialists from across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Vietnam to discuss opportunities for action and collaboration.
During the one-day field visit to two agricultural facilities on 26 June, participants will learn about sustainable agricultural management, including post-harvest processing techniques and crop commercialization through product development.
Days 3–4: Food Composition Training Workshop (June 26–27) for AFACI AFCD+ team
From June 26–27, a technical training workshop was conducted by the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (Thailand). The training focused on strengthening national capacity for building high-quality food composition databases. Participants explored tools for data compilation, methodologies for food analysis, and approaches to ensure data quality and consistency. A total of 22 Principal Investigators (P*s) from participating countries took part in the sessions, contributing to preparations for Phase II (2025–2027) of the AFCD+ Project.
Conclusion
The 2025 AFACI AFCD+ event in the Philippines successfully combined technical review, policy dialogue, practical training, and field learning. It marked a significant milestone in efforts to digitize food data, build healthier food systems, and enhance regional cooperation for sustainable and nutritious diets in Asia.
From Vietnam, there were 3 paricipants including:
1. Dr. Hoang Xuan Truong, Vice Director of Center for Agrarian Systems Research and Development. He is the PI of AFCD+ project in Vietnam.
2. Dr. Le Hong Dung, National Institute of Nutrition.
3. Msc. Nguyen Thi Thuy Ha, researcher, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Dr. Le Hong Dung shared the implementation results of Vietnam’s AFACI AFCD+ project on the first day of the workshop, June 24.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Ha presented the current status of the food system in Son La province, Vietnam in the AP Policy Forum – Enhancing Sustainable Food Value Chains and Healthy Diets, June 25.
