The Development of a Food Safety Management Model for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Case Study in Nong Harn Subdistrict Municipality, San Sai District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

Safe food is a fundamental factor for human health, and food safety is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders. This participatory action research aimed to develop a safe food management model for community-dwelling older adults by integrating community participation principles (Appreciation- Influence-Control: AIC) with modern management concepts. The conceptual framework followed the “Upstream-Midstream-Downstream” approach and was implemented in the Nong Harn Subdistrict Municipality, San Sai District, Chiang Mai Province. A total of 36 purposively selected participants were stakeholders involved in food safety management, including older adults, caregivers, community leaders, food vendors, organic farmers, and representatives from local administrative and public health agencies. Data were collected through the AIC process, consisting of six steps: analyzing the current situation, envisioning a desirable and feasible future, prioritizing key issues, drafting action plans, developing the management model in collaboration with stakeholders, and presenting the findings to the community and related agencies. Content and thematic analyses were employed for data interpretation.

The study revealed that the food safety model for older adults comprised three core components of management: 1) Upstream-including multi-sectoral participation, promoting of safe food sources, and monitoring of food quality; 2) Midstream-involving participatory processes in food production and processing through knowledge sharing and dissemination, and development of a comprehensive local food safety system; and 3) Downstream - emphasizing the evaluation, monitoring, and promotion of safe food consumption for older adults with active involvement from all stakeholders.

The findings suggest that empowering families, communities, and local agencies is essential to ensure safe food environments for older adults. Relevant agencies should apply the research outcome by initiating community-based projects aligned with the local context, concretely and prospectively, for empirical outcomes.