Local Cargill unit works to attain world-class status

Cargill Philippines is close to getting a HACCP (hazard analysis in central control points) certification from the renowned Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) which will make it the first feedmilling company in the Philippines to have all of its plants HACCP-certifed.

Benel Angeles, Cargill Philippines central laboratory head said a HACCP certification will further bolster the company’s position as one of the world-class feedmilling operators in the country.

"Our efforts to be HACCP-certified is part of the company’s global initiative to promote food safety, starting with our animal feed products," said Angeles.

HACCP is a management system designed for use in all segments of the food industry, including animal production. With HACCP, food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical and physical hazards, from processing of raw materials and manufacturing, to product packaging and distribution.

Angeles said that with the system’s implementation in all of its plants and facilities in the Philippines, HACCP will minimize or totally eliminate the feeds’ possible contamination of biological hazards like bacteria, pathogens and mycotoxins, chemical hazards like pesticides, animal drugs and physical hazards like stones, glass, pieces of wood and other foreign materials.

In working to get a HACCP certificate from SGS, Angeles said Cargill Philippines is being assisted by the company’s central laboratory experts in its Pulilan, Bulacan plant.

"We are being helped by our experts from the central laboratory. They support our biodiversity and HACCP endeavors by managing the quality assurance of feed products. The laboratory tests raw materials for protein, fiber, fast, ash, mineral and vitamin contents. They also ensure the raw materials’ correct processing and oversees the quality control of the finished feed product," said Angeles.

The Pulilan plant already has an ISO-17025 certification and is so far the only ISO-certified feedmill plant laboratory in the country. Among Cargill’s more than 40 laboratories worldwide, the Philippine laboratory scored the highest in terms of safety and second highest in terms of quality.

Cargill Philippines is the local unit of Cargill Incorporated, an international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and services. It operates in 60 countries.

Some of the products manufactured by Cargill Philippines include feeds for the livestock, poultry and aquaculture sectors. Its products include Purina and Pork Focus feeds.