The partnership between the Samoa Association of Manufacturers and Exporters (SAME) and the NUS was recently confirmed at the Oloamanu Training Centre at the NUS Compound Vaivase, Apia, where more than thirty companies attended.

The training programme aimed to enhance the competitiveness of the private sector through international certification for Food Safety and Management at the highest level.

Pacific Islands Trade & Invest (PT&I) NZ Trade Development Manager, Joe Fuavao said, “This is good news for businesses in Samoa particularly those businesses with plans to export in the near future. The training programme meets a growing demand for potential suppliers to the New Zealand market to comply with a recognised food safety management programme such as HACCP.”

(HACCP refers to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, which is a systematic preventative approach to food safety from biological, chemical and physical hazards in production that could cause the final product to become unsafe as well as designing and introducing measures to prevent this.)

PT&I has partnered with SAME on key export capability building initiatives as the Buy Samoa Made Trade missions to New Zealand and Australia and the GS1 Bar code development workshops in Samoa last year.

NUS Vice Chancellor, Professor Lui Leapai Asofou, in his keynote address at the launch said, to succeed in international trade, goods and service providers must not only be competitive but they must also be internationally recognised. The Food Safety Management Training, which is part of SAME’s International certification programme would equip Samoan Food & Beverage manufacturers and exporters to “enhance the competitiveness of our food and beverage import substitute businesses and exporters – but also create international recognition as being ISO-Certified.”

SAME President, Tagaloa Eddie Wilson, said, of the companies registered for the programme, sixteen were heading for certification from a wide range of processors/ manufacturers/ exporters of coconut and cocoa based products, food and beverage industries, processed agriculture based products such as nonu, coconut cream, palusami, chilli, fruit juice, snack foods, beer, water, ice cream, soft drinks, processed meat products and fresh and frozen taro.

The training programme is delivered by New Zealand International Certification Limited. SAME will partner with the NUS to eventually take over the training programme – for the private sector in Samoa – to enable the sustainability of the programme. It will be geared for local companies and organisations to eventually become ready for Certification by New Zealand International Certification, under the SAME International Certification programme.

SAME and NUS acknowledged the support by the Government and the major sponsor – PHAMA programme.