Consumer products in the country have become more affordable, yet with better quality, thanks to world-class technologies that are now adopted by local food makers.
A wide variety of processed foods like meat products are now available at any given time in the Philippines, a country of more than 85 million consumers, as meat processing companies has begun to employ new technologies that have made possible mass production of these sources of nutrients.
Scientific safety procedures and proper handling of meat products, even at large volumes, make sure that Filipino consumers have access to high-quality, yet affordable meat products.
Over the years, routine food safety practices have been discovered and developed to minimize, if not eradicate, contaminants (hazards) on meat items.
Madelyn Rejano, a food quality assurance expert, said among these practices is HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, a scientific approach that addresses concerns on food safety. (HACCP is a system developed way back in 1960 during NASA’s first manned space mission where the guidelines were defined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.)
Developed countries such as the United States have adopted the HACCP-based food safety system to protect their consumers from all kinds of hazards or contaminants, including bacteria. In the Philippines, CDO-Foodsphere is among the few companies that have started to apply the HACCP system.
“Through this system, the hazards (physical, chemical, and biological, including allergens) are identified in all the steps in producing a scientific product,” Rejano said.
Aside from bacteria, there is also a growing concern about physical and chemical contamination of food.
Among these contaminants are metals (physical hazard), soap used in cleaning equipment (chemical hazard) and allergens from soya products, eggs, milk, nuts, fish, shellfish, peanut and wheat.
Rejano said HACCP is a scientific process control system developed to reduce to an acceptable level these hazards or contaminants in critical areas of the food production and distribution process.
Its main objective is to prevent up to 100 percent the harmful contamination in the food supply. Compared to the traditional quality control inspection which is oftentimes corrective in nature, HACCP is preventive in its approach.
“Necessary control points, critical limits, corrective actions and accountabilities are established to ensure that the hazards are addressed,” she said.
These control points include all the steps in the food supply from its raw state through processing and shipping to consumption by the consumer.
Such steps include, but are not limited to, transportation, refrigeration, cooking, packaging, storage, metal detection, and distribution.
“Since HACCP is a systematic approach, all the processes and ingredients, even packaging materials, are taken into consideration to ensure that no hazard or possible contamination of the product is overlooked,” she said.
Rejano said improper handling of meat products, when exposed at critical temperatures between 5 to 63 degree Celsius, will result in contamination of the product and its eventual spoilage.
“Hence, perishable products like meat and meat products should not be left for so long at critical temperatures,” she added. Either you keep them cold or hot.
Rejano, who heads the quality assurance team of CDO-Foodsphere, warned that food hazards, if not properly addressed, may lead to illness or even death among food consumers.
She said this is the reason why the Philippine government tries to follow the lead of developed countries in implementing the HACCP-based food safety system.
In the Philippines, government agencies like the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and Bureau of Food and Drugs determine whether the food or ingredients used are safe for human consumption, based on a set of standards.
In case of the meat processing industry, it is the NMIS that sets regulatory standards and serves as the certifying body for HACCP.
Rejano said it is for this reason that CDO-Foodsphere has adopted the HACCP system since 2002, taking the safety of its consumers as its primordial consideration.
Among the company’s HACCP-certified canned products are Karne Norte, Corned Beef, Meat Loaf, Beef Loaf, Chunkisado, Samba Brazilian Corned Beef, Bingo Karne Norte, and all viand lines.
Rejano said HACCP plans for all the products supplied by the company to fastfood chains and pizza restaurants are already being implemented.
“This is not only to comply with the client’s requirement but more so to demonstrate the company’s commitment to produce, store, and deliver safe and quality products to consumers,” she said.
The NMIS has classified CDO as an “AAA” meat processing establishment. Being included in this category means having a clean and efficient meat processing plant that is globally competitive.
Since HACCP is not a stand-alone program, the NMIS also ensures that the company complies with good manufacturing practices, one of the pre-requisites of the HACCP certification.