By Sudari Pawiro - GQSP Indonesia

It's been more than a year since COVID-19 first emerged and caused a pandemic – resulting in an unprecedented disruption in every aspect of our life. One of the most critical aspects is our food safety, where fisheries and aquaculture are part of its main components. Ensuring a high standard in quality and safety of our fisheries and aquaculture products is paramount than ever. Yet, the pandemic also means any in-person or physical assessment/inspection is highly limited, if not impossible. Therefore, Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) took immediate action to tackle this matter.

The Indonesian Fish Quarantine and Inspection Agency (BKIPM), an agency that belongs to the MMAF, initiated remote assessment development that will complement the regular on-site audit. With the support from GQSP Indonesia, between July – August 2020, more than 470 fish inspectors from all over Indonesia under the BKIPM have been trained on remote assessment based on international and national standards and regulations. Since then, remote inspection has been implemented in the country for seafood processing units for certification of good manufacturing practices and HACCP.

Now, after seven months of the remote assessment implementation, MMAF and GQSP Indonesia are determined to strengthen the system by establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) or technical guidelines for fish inspectors across the country. GQSP Indonesia is also providing inputs for the remote inspection's legal framework. MMAF has committed that the remote inspection will be continued and implemented beyond the COVID-19 pandemic considering the vast areas of Indonesia and the government's limited resources to reach out to all seafood processing units in the country.