Five Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) enterprise proponent groups completed their training on Food Processing and Safety by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) CALABARZON and the DA-PRDP CALABARZON. The three-part training aims to help the groups apply for a License to Operate (LTO) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which will allow them to sell their products to a bigger market and have their products certified as safe and compliant to FDA standards.

Among the topics covered in the training were basic food handling skills, sanitation standard operating procedures, current good manufacturing practices, product traceability, hazard analysis and critical control points, etc. Some of the main outputs of the training were the Good Manufacturing Practices Manual and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan.

Four proponent groups expressed their commitment to applying for an LTO by drafting a letter to the FDA to create an account in the FDA application portal. Meanwhile, the Aga Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative, which already has an LTO and Certificate of Product Registration, prepared further compliances such as the HACCP Plan and their LTO renewal. Gemma Barlaan, general manager of the cooperative, expressed her gratitude as the training helped them apply for a CPR which paved the way for the cooperative to sell its products in grocery stores and malls. Right now, the cooperative is also applying for certifications that will permit the export and sale of its products internationally.

The five groups that completed the training were:

Batangas:

• Aga Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative Agafarmersmpc (coffee)
• Magsasakang Tanaueño Agricultural Marketing Cooperative (mango puree)
• Tanauan Organic Natural Farming Association (banana chips)

Quezon:

• Quezon Federation and Union of Cooperatives (VCO)

Laguna:

• Luisiana Cacao Grower Producers Cooperative (tablea) #

DA-PRDP 4A Project Director Engr. Marcos Aves joined the participants to preserve the PG’s victorious moment after completing the training. He congratulated the PGs and assured them that the DA-PRDP 4A is always ready to assist and support them in their enterprises. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)

AgFamCo members prepared documents for their LTO renewal from the FDA to ensure that their certifications are updated and their enterprise remains compliant to industry standards. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)

DOST-4A Food Safety Team resource person John Maico Hernandez shared what could be improved in the LCGPC tablea product packaging based on the food packaging guidelines. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)

DA-PRDP 4A I-REAP Component Head Editha Salvosa expressed her hope that the PGs will be able to maximize what they learned from the training in upgrading and sustaining the operations and income of their DA-PRDP-funded enterprises. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)

DA-PRDP 4A I-REAP and the Quezon PLGU assisted representatives of the QFUC in identifying potential hazards and risks in their VCO processing operations for the HACCP plan. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)

LCGPC Chairman Pedrito Mergilla and General Manager Sonia Coladilla checked if their existing packaging for their tableya complies with the guidelines on product packaging presented by the DOST-4A Food Safety Team. (Photo by Von Samuel Panghulan)