Prioritise purchase of products from local, sustainable sources.
Prince of Songkla University (PSU) promotes sustainable food procurement through its Policy on Safe Food Preparation and Consumption for Sustainable Development. The policy provides a university-wide framework for sourcing food and ingredients in ways that support food safety, transparency, environmental responsibility, and collaboration with local agricultural networks.
University Policy on Sustainable Food Sourcing
PSU’s policy encourages the sourcing of food ingredients from safe and quality-controlled production sources, with continuous quality monitoring to protect consumers. It also promotes procurement systems that are transparent and traceable, enabling the University to verify the origin and quality of food-related products and materials.
The policy further promotes:
environmentally responsible use of resources;
healthy food options;
appropriate food pricing; and
collaboration between the University, campus food vendors, community agriculture, organic farming networks, and safe-food producers.
Together, these measures provide a policy framework for supporting food products and ingredients that are safe, traceable, locally connected, and environmentally responsible.
Supporting Local and Sustainable Food Networks
PSU also supports local food systems through the PSU Agricultural Market, Faculty of Natural Resources, which provides a platform for local agricultural products and safe food.
In 2025, the market hosted 134 vendors and offered:
pesticide-safe vegetables and fruit;
fresh agricultural produce;
fish, crab, shrimp, and other fresh food;
cooked meals;
processed food products; and
food and agricultural products developed by PSU students.
The market also promotes environmentally responsible consumption by encouraging the use of reusable bags and natural materials such as banana leaves as alternatives to single-use plastic packaging.
Supporting Local Producers and Affordable Access
PSU Agricultural Market also works with government agencies and producer networks to support local food producers and improve access to safe and affordable food.
In January 2025, the Department of Internal Trade organised an activity at the PSU Agricultural Market and distributed 100 coupons valued at 50 THB each to consumers using the market, helping stimulate purchases from participating vendors.
The market also hosted activities involving safe agricultural products, including the sale of pork produced without beta-agonist growth promoters in collaboration with livestock producer associations and government agencies.
2025 Sustainable Food Sourcing at a Glance
| Area | 2025 Evidence |
|---|
| University policy | Promotes safe, transparent, and traceable sourcing of food ingredients |
| Local producer networks | Supports collaboration with community agriculture, organic farming, and safe-food networks |
| PSU Agricultural Market | 134 vendors offering agricultural and food products |
| Safe agricultural products | Pesticide-safe vegetables, fruit, fresh food, and other agricultural products |
| Consumer support | 100 coupons × 50 THB distributed to encourage purchases at PSU Agricultural Market |
| Environmentally responsible consumption | Promotion of reusable bags and natural packaging materials |
Strengthening Sustainable Food Procurement
Through its university policy and local food networks, PSU promotes a food system that gives greater attention to safe sourcing, traceability, community-based agriculture, organic farming, and environmentally responsible consumption.
These efforts support stronger connections between the University, campus food services, local producers, and community-based food networks while contributing to more sustainable food production and consumption.