Mekeni products free from swine fever — FDA

PAMPANGA, Philippines — A Pampanga-based food manufacturing company, whose pork products tested positive for African swine fever (ASF) in October, has been given the green light to redistribute its products in the market in time for the Christmas season.

The Mekeni Food Corp. said its products have secured a clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The clearance from the FDA and test results from independent firm Standard Global Services (SGS) “provide assurance that Mekeni’s facilities, equipment, raw meat materials and pork-based finished products for release in the market are 100 percent negative for ASF virus DNA,” the company said in a statement yesterday.

The FDA issued the clearance more than a month after Mekeni initiated a voluntary recall of its products when specific batches of Picnic Red Classic Hotdog 500 grams and Skinless Longaniza 200 grams tested positive for ASF.

On Nov. 22, Mekeni submitted to Health Undersecretary and FDA officer-in-charge Eric Domingo the corrective actions taken by the company.

After a thorough review of the documents and test results, the FDA gave Mekeni the clearance to redistribute its products.

“Upon due evaluation of the documents, this office allows the redistribution of processed pork meat products that tested negative for ASF,” FDA said.

Last October, Mekeni voluntarily recalled all its pork-based products from the market while awaiting the official laboratory results from the SGS and the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Mekeni president Prudencio Garcia said the move aims to help the local hog industry and to mitigate the possibility that their products inadvertently become carriers of ASF.

“Even though the health department has stated that ASF posts no risks to humans, we take the issue seriously and have spared no expense to bolster our processes,” Garcia said.

The Food Safety Act mandates that meat from diseased animals must not be used for food or for manufacturing food products for human consumption.

To further improve its measures, Mekeni said its raw meats sourced both locally and abroad would undergo thorough testing for ASF.

A periodic environmental swabbing of Mekeni facilities will also be conducted to prevent potential contamination. A food safety and quality officer has been appointed to head a second layer of testing.

Garcia said the measures are on top of the company’s strict compliance with the regulations and certifications set by the government.

He added that all meats coming to Mekeni’s plant for processing are certified by the National Meat Inspection Service and have the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary clearance.

“The procedures we have adopted in product testing and in our manufacturing facility are in line with our commitment to provide only the highest standards of food quality. We are happy that these tests have yielded negative results and we can again share our products to our customers,” Garcia said.