Ministry unveils new quality-product logo
Ministry unveils new quality-product logo
The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation on February 8 called for factories, enterprises and cottage industries to apply for the soon-to-be-issued “Cambodian Quality Products” labels that recognise the quality and safety of their goods.
The ministry noted that it will process the applications from February 8 at its one-window service office located at its headquarters on the southwest corner of the Norodom Boulevard intersection with Street 136 in Daun Penh district’s Phsar Thmei III commune.
The new label also serves to promote domestic products by improving quality and safety consistent with nationally recognised standards, penetrate the supermarket arena and instilling confidence in intermediary distribution partners and consumers, it said.
The ministry added: “Make sure to apply early to avoid the rush for ‘Cambodian Quality Products’ labels for the ministry to review and determine whether or not to provide the emblem.
“[This will be] in accordance with procedures concerning printing on product packaging and product circulation in supermarkets, and will serve the needs of customers and consumers.”
Hong Tong, director of food processor Thai Hong Kiet Fish Sauce and Soy Sauce Enterprise, told The Post that he would soon apply for the label for his wares.
Ministerial authentication of his products’ quality and safety will help bring his products to the next level, he said. “As I’ve gathered, ministerial certification of our products’ is paramount to aggrandise our products with the recognition of quality and safety standards at the top national level.”
Ream Chanvanna, deputy director-general of the ministry’s General Department of Small and Medium Enterprises and Handicrafts, told The Post that the label will ramp up the development and promotion of industrial and handicraft goods across the Kingdom, sharpen their competitive edge and ensure the protection of public health, quality, safety, society and the environment.
Chanvanna, who also heads the Secretariat of the Commission for the Certification of Cambodian Quality Products, added that applicants must comply with business registration rules and hold a valid operation permit in accordance with the Law on Administration of Factory and Handicraft.
Additionally, business owners must obtain a certificate of conformity for their products at the Institute of Standards, as per the Law on Standards of Cambodia, and a weight and measurement certificate from the National Metrology Centre, he said.
“Once business owners receive the ‘Cambodian Quality Products’ labels and put them on their products, we hope their merchandise will garner more support and trust from consumers and trim product imports.
“Introduction of the label will also help increase competition in the private sector and contribute to a reduction in substandard products,” Chanvanna said.
The department’s director-general Hort Pheng said early in November that there were 52,154 formally registered small and medium-sized enterprises as of December 31, 2019, which contributed $2.6 billion to economic output that year.
But Covid-19 forced 13,690 of them to close or suspend their operations. Most were in the cigarette, food or beverage business, he said.
