Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, April 23 (PIA) -- Micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) in the food industry were urged to use a traceability mechanism in the
food supply chain from inputs to packaging to the distribution of their
end-products to ensure food safety.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) told participants in a
recent food safety training that consumers today are seeking reassurance on the
safety of the products they buy from the source of raw materials used to
packaging until their delivery to the commercial market
Over 50 food manufacturers, producers and food service providers
in Cebu participated in the training on Food Safety and Food Licensing and
Registration for MSMEs.
The training also tackled the importance of traceability to easily
pinpoint the source of food contamination in case of product recall during
outbreaks due to the use of the questionable product.
Knowledge Management Officer of DTI-Trade Related Technical
Assistance (TRTA)-3 Rena Cruz-Tan said, in the market world,
consumers demand a guarantee that the products they purchase are safe and have
undergone proper sanitation which is where the need for traceability comes in.
“Traceability, whether manual or electronic, is the ability to
follow movement of a food through specified stages of production, processing
and distribution,” explained Tan.
Tan said traceability allows food establishments to keep records
of the date and the manufacturer of their ingredients in case there are
concerns or negative feedbacks from consumers which can be addressed by
investigating the company liable.
Tan cited five reasons why traceability needs to be implemented:
1) International Legislation (e.g. EU General Food Law Regulation 178/2002);
2) Client Satisfaction -consumers assure product quality and consistency
and choose food with traceability; 3) Food Safety and Security: is
not making the product safe yet it is a tool to identify outbreak or hazard sources
and manage safety alert; 4) Standard requirements: the client requires
some preferences particularly with traceability; and 5) Operations
Improvement for inventory management.
In the same training, Ryan Deguma of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) demonstrated on the use of an Electronic Licensing
Procedure to help participants in signing up their FDA license through online
registration.
Deguma said online registration is more convenient as the
applicants will no longer have to visit the FDA office to sign-up while the
mode of payments can now be done online through BancNet.
Participants were told to initially access the FDA website, log-in
towww.fda.gov.ph or email them at info.fda.gov.ph for
questions and clarifications. Instructive videos on the online processing were
shown containing a demonstration of the Electronic Online Procedure for better
understanding and appreciation.
The two-day training also tackled the Food Safety Act of 2013,
Food and Drugs Administration Licensing and Regulations, Food Safety Best
Practices (HACCP, GMP & GHP), Online E-Registration and
E-Licensing, among others.
The DTI said with the ASEAN economic integration this year,
participants must be globally competitive including the strict compliance to
laws, rules and regulations governing the food industry. (mbcn/fcr/ PIA7/with
reports from Paulynne Joyce R. dela Cruz, SU intern)