A meat company that cares

Whether or not consumer care to know what happens to a piece of meat before it becomes burger or a lechon kawali, one meat company makes sure that all goes exceptionally well – from the nursery, to the plant, to the abattoir.

The Monterey nursery was recently certified by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System.

The HACCP is an international, preventive quality management system designed to identify and prevent any potential hazards in the food. For food company to earn the right to implement the HACCP system, it must consistently pass the internationally accepted measures of good manufacturing practices (GMP) and standard sanitation operating procedures (SSOP).

A remarkable program for premises, equipment, personnel, transportation and storage, sanitation and pest control, and recalls must also be in place.

Animals experience a lot of stress from the time they are separated from their mothers to be raised in meat farms, according to Dr. Leo Obviar, live operations manager of Monterey Foods Corp.

Piglets go through between 28 to 84 days of adjustment in terms of environment, socialization, and diet. This is why, he says, the period in the nursery is the most critical stage in growing piglets.

In the Monterey Nursery, they are given all the vaccines they need, plus proper transition to dry feed, in order to prepare them for the growing period.

"It’s an intensive program," Dr. Obviar points out. "They are handled a lot, tended a lot. Keeping them free from major diseases is important so they won’t have to be medicated . . . for them to be free from rescues."

Monterey is the first livestock operation in the Philippines to undergo the HACCP. It took the team more than a year to prepare the manuals, to build structures that comply with the high standards of the certifying body, to rehabilitate existing facilities, and to train workers.

Everyone has to know the concept and process of the certification. We must be attuned to a systematic process so we really have to prepare everybody. The manual must be well written, if needed, written in the vernacular to be understood by workers. Everyone must realize the importance of a well-kept, clean environment so that pigs are rid of potential harm."

Dr. Obviar continues: "We are currently looking into making the piglets more comfortable by setting up air-conditioned houses. This should make them feel happier, eat more, not be stressed out, and produce good quality meats. We are also planning to replicate our systematic process with our contract farms (owned by third parties) for them to implement the same standards of quality of production."

Monterey has more than 250 farms throughout the country. The main farms are located in Batangas, Cavite, and Bulacan, and small farms as far as Ilocos Sur to General Santos. "We will be expanding, to meet the growing market outside of Manila particularly in Cebu, and in key areas in Mindanao," he reports.

The Monterey Meatshop was not always as ubiquitous as it is now. Monterey meats were initially perceived as pang-sosyal and expensive, but the very determined brand eventually overcame this marketing hurdle.

According to Dr. Obviar, trust as always been Monterey’s best selling point – it is something that the company takes very, very seriously so that today, Monterey is known across the country for offering consistently high-quality meats that are budget-friendly.

For this meticulous care, Monterey was also recently awarded the Seal of Excellence by the Department of Agriculture – National Meat Inspection Services for the best and cleanest abattoir in the Triple A category. The prestigious honor is given only to brands that are in the Hall of Fame, meaning hailed as best in its category for five times.

Consumers can trust that Monterey folks continue to think, maybe even stress, about how much more than improve their system. If it sounds like the Monterey way borders on the obsessive, to us, meat-lovers, it can only mean one thing: always tasty, tender meats for the family .