Four officers from MFOR, within the Seafood Toxicology Laboratory Division, successfully completed a four-month capability development training at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, New Zealand, from 7 August to 12 December 2025. The training provided hands-on experience in laboratory practices aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 standards, equipment calibration and maintenance, and the testing of chemical and microbial contaminants in water and food products, with a primary focus on seafood. During the training, the team also visited the Aquaculture Park, participated in the co-design of the container laboratory, and contributed to the co-development of the laboratory equipment list.

The knowledge and skills gained through the training will be applied to initiate laboratory operations. The training initiative is expected to integrate standardised procedures into daily workflows, implementing standard operating procedures, conducting in-house staff training, and carrying out local testing. These efforts aim to generate reliable data to support timely public health decisions, enhance national market access, and improve food safety. The Ministry expressed its sincere gratitude to the World Bank, through PROP, for their generous financial support of the training.