RP Meat Products Globally Recognized

A PHILIPPINE-BASED meat processing company has gained global recognition for its high-quality meat toppings, which are now being positioned for export to other South-east Asian countries.

Yum! Restaurants International (YRI), one of the world's largest operators of quick service restaurants (QSR), named CDO-Foodsphere Inc., a Philippine-based meat processing firm, as its most improved supplier in the 3rd Asia Franchise Awards held in Singapore last March 16, 2005.

CDO is a supplier of meat toppings for Pizza Hut, one of the five major QSR brands owned by YRI. Other popular brands owned by YRI are KFC, A&W, Long John Silver's, and Taco Bell, which are considered global leaders in chicken, hamburger, quick-service seafood, pizza and Mexican-style food categories, respectively.

YRI actually has 840,000 employees working in its more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide.

In bestowing the international award, YRI has recognized CDO, a leader in meat toppings production and canned meat processing in the Philippines, for its pursuit of brand standard excellence.

This plum is rarely given to suppliers that can consistently produce excellent meat toppings. It is the first time that a Philippine company received such an international accolade," said Akel Galangan, CDO's regional sales manager and head of its foodservice sales group.

"With such recognition, CDO meat toppings are now considered globally acceptable, since YRI has a very stringent system of accrediting food suppliers," said Galangan. He added the citation only proves that CDO products are now internationally competitive, as he disclosed the company's plan to supply meat toppings to all Pizza Hut outlets in Southeast Asia.

Meat toppings production is part of CDO's product portfolio offered by its hotels, restaurants and institutional (HRI) sales group, which accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the company's business.

CDO actually supplies meat toppings to 9 of every 10 QSRs in the Philippines. The plan to supply meat toppings to other Southeast Asian countries is consistent with the company's recently launched export program. As one of the key players in the canned meat sector, CDO seeks to increase its exports to the Middle East, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, and Papua New Guinea and aims to penetrate the United States, Canada and other countries where there are large Filipino communities.

Foodsphere Named Outstanding Corned Beef Maker

Foodsphere, Inc., maker of CDO Karne Norte, was cited outstanding corned beef manufacturer by the Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP) at the 15th Annual National Consumers Awards (ANCA) held recently at Le Pavillion in Pasay City. Receiving the award from CUP awards committee head Quirino Marquinez are Foodsphere Assistant General Manager Marites Escarcha, National Sales Manager Bong Cendaña, AVP for Canning & Bottling Rene Hernandez, Senior Marketing Manager Jonathan Bendicion, and CDO Karne Norte Brand Manager Sharon Punzalan.

The Hall of Fame Award

The Hall of Fame award was conferred to CDO-Foodsphere, Inc. by the Consumers Union of the Philippines during the 14th Annual National Consumers Awards night held July 4, 2003 at the Westin Philippine Plaza in Pasay City. Recognizing the company’s great stride in providing nutritious and affordable food products to the Filipino consumers, the CUP cited CDO – Foodsphere as the Outstanding Meat Processor for five consecutive years from 1999 to 2003, making it the first and only meat processor in the country to have earned such an accolade.

“It’s an organization worthy of emulation and recognition,” said CUP President Quirino Marquinez. Conceived in 1962, the CUP strongly advocates that quality, truth and honesty should be the guiding factors behind the field of manufacturing and marketing of products and services.

CDO has become an icon to millions of Filipino consumers, a brand that has etched a reputation for affordable but quality food products that include its succulent Christmas Hams, Karne Norte, Bibbo Hotdog and a host of similar specialties. Its modern processing technology with cutting-edge equipment and production techniques attest to the company’s firm commitment to give the consumers the best products they can be proud of.

The accolade makes the food company the first and only meat processor in the country that won the prestigious award for five consecutive years beginning 1999.

Grand Slam for CDO

CDO-Foodsphere, Inc. bagged the much-coveted “Best Meat Processing Plant” award for three consecutive years (1999, 2000 & 2001) given by the Agriculture Department through the National Meat Inspection Commission to recognize companies that have excelled in the field of meat processing.

The citation plaque was handed to company officials by Agriculture Undersecretary Cesar Drilon, Jr. and NMIC executive director Efren Nuestro in ceremonies held last October 17, 2001 in Diliman, Quezon City. The search is an annual undertaking of an inter-agency committee composed of the DA-NMIC, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Health.

Director Nuestro said the project aims to recognize the efforts made by the meat processors to improve their systems and processes that lead to the production of clean and safe meat fit for human consumption. CDO-Foodsphere was cited for having not only a state-of-the-art plant facility in Valenzuela City but also for its world-class technology and processes.

Yum! Brands' Product Excellence Award for CDO

"Yum! Brands" is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units, with over 30,000 restaurants around the world in more than 100 countries. With a total nationwide system sales exceeding $22 billion in 2001, "Yum! Brands" is positioned as the owner of five great brands: PIZZA HUT, KFC, TACO BELL, A&W and LONG JOHN SILVERS.

In the Asia Product Excellence Conference in Singapore , "Yum! Brands" awarded CDO-Foodsphere, Inc. for attaining the "Yum! Brands" Standards.

The award places CDO-Foodsphere, Inc. as the first and only meat processing plant in South East Asia to gain such an achievement.

OTHER AWARDS

• Ms. Ong was the Most Outstanding Professional for 1999 in the Field of Dietetics given by the Professional Regulations Commission.

• Ms. Ong was also the Agora Awardee for the Most Outstanding Medium-Scale Entrepreneur in 1997 given by the Philippine Marketing Association for her successful stewardship of CDO-Foodsphere.

• Company founder, Corazon Dayro Ong, was the recipient of the 1996 Most Outstanding Dietitian Award conferred by the Nutritionists-Dietitians Association of the Philippines.