Approval of Food Products via e-Submission and Auto e-Permission Systems in Nakhon Pathom Province 2019-2020

Abstract

Background: Approval of food products via the e-Submission and Auto e-Permission systems in Nakhon Pathom province has not been evaluated and studied.

Objectives: To explore the results of food product approval and information on the operation of the e-Submission in 2019 and the auto e-Permission system in 2020 in Nakhon Pathom Province, also to study the correlation of permission with food product complaints.

Methods: This research was a descriptive study by studying retrospective from the e-Submission system that permission in Nakhon Pathom Province during the month of May – December: period 1^st in 2019 that using e-Submission and 2^nd in 2020 that using e-Submission and Auto e-Permission, as well as finding the correlation with food product complaints prosecuted by using Chi-square.

Results: Considering the request for food production in the first period of 2019, there was 157 entrepreneurs registered on 1,657 items through the e-Submission system. These applications grouped into approved license 87.02%, returned by authorities 6.16%, automatic returned 6.34%, rejected and rejected by entrepreneur 0.18% and 0.30%, respectively. An average approval processing time was 8.10 days. As for the results of the second phase of the study 2020, there were 172 entrepreneurs applicants, 1,475 items. These items divided approved license 96% (1,416 items) that approved by the authorities 28.20% and auto permission 67.80%, returned by authorities 2.1%, automatic returned 1.42%, and rejected by entrepreneur 0.48%. It took an average of 3.06 days for approval. It found that the duration was statistically significantly reduced at p<0.05. A major common reason for returning request was a register did not match with a food type – need to request additional food type. Besides, most product that registered in two year was ready to cook food and ready to eat food, and drinking water in sealed containers. Problem of product complaints prosecuted in 2020 found only drinking water in sealed containers. Finally, the study compared the e-Submission and Auto e-Permission method with the complaints before 2019-2020 by Chi-Square test, it was no correlation by statistics significantly at p>0.05.       

Conclusions: Consideration of food product requests in 2019 and 2020 was similar, but the  approval period was statistics significantly reduced. The relationship between product complaints and permission with e-Submission and auto e-Permission was not statistical correlation. However, to sure a guarantee of food product quality and safety, after-market products should be monitored a surveillance to determine the source of production that may not match the approved food category, the Thai FDA should revise the criteria for permission by submitting labels or photos of products to support approval and be a databased for inspection after the product is released to the markets.