The idea of ‘food’ isn’t all that simple in this day and age.
For those living busy modern lives, the daily meal rarely comes directly from the farm to the dinner table, and much of what we consume nowadays are quickly prepared from processed foods neatly packed into tins, sealed boxes and plastic containers of all various shapes and sizes.
The industry of turning raw farm produce into shelf-friendly items involves a wide ranging set of skills and knowledge and is part of the field called food technology.
And among the youth in the country, food technology is one of the vocational programmes that has been gaining steady interest.
Siti Zahidah binti Haji Borhanuddin, 22, is studying agrotechnology at the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) and is specialising in food technology at its Agro-Technology Campus (ATC).
She initially believed that studying agriculture was just about farming, but has since had a change of perspective, noting that in food technology, there is a focus on adding value to resources.
A recent study visit to a factory in Pahang, Malaysia that produced burger patties excited her to possibilities in the area.
“The owner told us how he started from the bottom, how he found recipes and ingredients… it inspired some of us to aim at setting up our own factories,” she said.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Muhammad Haziq bin Mohammad Rizal, also in the same programme, said he believed there is potential for them to be able to achieve something in the food processing sector. “Despite the opening of many youth-led cafes and restaurants, there remains a gap in youth representation in the food processing sector,” he said.
His interest in the food technology programme had only developed over time, and he believed the food science and training will be able to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with a distinct advantage in the food and beverage industry.
For Mohamad Eusoff Syahmironalddin bin Haji Ramlan, 21, he believed learning more about the equipment and technology that is available can improve the country’s capacity in the sector.
He had also been part of the same study trip to factories in Pahang, and noted that he had witnessed a vibrant ecosystem of food manufacturing companies.
“While Brunei has made progress in this sector, there is still room for improvement,” he said. – Wardi Wasil