CDO-Foodsphere Inc., a meat processing firm, received last week two more certificates from Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) after the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) proclaimed two of its products as complaint with the international food safety system. The two products, CDO Pizza Hut pork toppings and CDO Pizza Hut beef toppings, have passed the stringent standards set by the meat inspection body in implementing HACCP.

These products are used as ingredients for the end-product of the international food chain. Bibbo Hotdog, another product of CDO-Foodsphere, earlier received the same recognition after passing equally stringent measures required by the government agency. Amy Cuna, VP for Manufacturing of CDO-Foodsphere, noted that getting a HACCP-complaint certificate is not an easy job.

"It took us some time to get the certificate even though our Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOP) systems are already in place," she said. HACCP is a preventive and systematic approach designed to protect food supply against hazards to human health.

Unlike other food safety systems which are implemented on a company-wide scale such as GMP and SSOP, HACCP is complied with and implemented on a product basis. "This explains why the HACCP complaint certificate is given based on merits of a specific product. Each certificate is valid for a period of one year and subject to validation audits every six months and surveillance visits for GMP compliance within the validity period of the certificate," she said.

The system addresses biological, chemical and physical hazards by anticipating occurrence of such and ensuring food quality in every single step of the manufacturing process. HACCP is one of the key strategies implemented by the government to make local processed meat industry globally competitive, according to Efren Nuestro, NMIC executive director.