How Thai chickens might be heading for space exploration
Chicken meat from Thailand might one day be feeding astronauts on a space station, a veterinary expert said on Tuesday.
Asst. Prof Dr Kriangkrai Witoonsatian, a lecturer at the Department of Farm Resources and Production Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, said that some Thai manufacturers of processed chicken meat are now on the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) shortlist of food suppliers for space missions.
“Thailand’s leading manufacturers and exporters are continually improving their farming technologies,” he told Thansettakij newspaper on Tuesday. “This can be traced back to the selection of high-quality materials as feed for chickens to ensure an optimal amount of nutrients needed across different ages.”
He added that modern farmers have also installed a 24/7 monitoring system to check animal health, behaviors and any signs of communicable diseases. The manufacturing process has been optimised to reduce human contact to ensure the highest level of food safety for a germ-free environment like in a space station.
Kriangkrai said Thailand is now the world’s fifth largest exporter of poultry, signifying the consumers’ confidence in quality and safety of products from the poultry industry where manufacturers and farmers adhere to the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standard.
“Technology and knowledge in farming are constantly evolving. Farmers must therefore keep up with the latest updates to improve their operations, especially in breed improvement and animal healthcare,” he pointed out.
Kriangkrai added that consumers need not be concerned over the use of growth hormone in chicken products, as modern farming techniques have helped speed up natural growth, making the hormone no longer necessary. It is also now illegal.
