The “hasty” transfer of the regulatory functions of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) over meat products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could disrupt the trade of processed meat in the country, according to local meat processors.
In a memorandum circular, NMIS Executive Director Minda S. Manantan said the official transfer of the regulation of processed meat products to the FDA under the Department of Health (DOH) will be on July 1 this year.
By then, Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) Executive Director Francisco J.
Buencamino said the FDA should ensure that it is ready to take on the functions of the NMIS to ensure that the transition will not harm the trade of processed meat.
“It is Pampi’s belief that the accelerated transfer [of the NMIS mandate to FDA] will slow down movements within the processed meat industry,” Buencamino told the BusinessMirror. “There are lots of things that the FDA should know, especially on the marketing side. [The FDA] should learn more about the marketability of a product. It’s okay to make sure that a product is safe, but it should not kill the industry,” he added.
Buencamino also said the processed meat sector was “baffled” when the FDA and the NMIS released a joint circular, which indicated the attached agency of the DOH will become responsible for the safety of processed meat products starting July 1.
“The implementing rules and regulations [IRR] of the [Food Safety Act of 2013] speaks of February 2017; the DOH and the DA [Department of Agriculture] want the transfer to happen in July 2016,” Buencamino said.
“We have written to the secretaries of the DA and the DOH to clarify the rationale of accelerating the transfer, as both departments have admitted to their inability to undertake it at this time,” he added.
Republic Act (RA) 10611, or the Food Safety Act of 2013, provided that the FDA will become responsible for the assurance of safety of processed meat and pre-packaged food products, whether locally produced or imported.
RA 10611 further indicated that the transfer and absorption of functions, duties and responsibilities from the NMIS to the FDA should be in accordance with the approved and finalized transition plan of the Food Security Regulation Coordinating Board (FSRCB) and should be implemented with 24 months from the effectivity of the IRR.
Dr. Clarita M. Sangcal, head of the NMIS Accreditation and Regulation Division and chairman of the transition team, said the transfer of the functions of her agency to FDA is already “overdue.” “The IRR of the Food Safety Act states that the transfer should be done two years from the approval of the Act. The IRR was issued in 2013. It’s already 2016,” Sangcal said.
The Food Safety Unit of the Center for Food Regulation and Research of the FDA said the two agencies have just recently finalized their transition plan.
According to Sangcal, NMIS functions that will be transferred to the FDA are the issuance of license to operate to meat- processing plants; handling of consumer complaints; issuance of certificate of product registration; and the implementation of meat-safety quality-assurance program on processed meat.
The regulation of raw and frozen meat used as raw materials for processed food will remain with the NMIS.
Sangcal, however, said the FDA is still in the process of hiring more personnel to improve its technical capacity to regulate processed meat.
Timothy Mendoza of the FDA Center for Food Regulation and Research Food Safety Unit said the agency has been preparing for the electronization of the system for application of licensing of
establishments and e-registration of food products since last year.
“[This is] to improve efficiency; reduce red tape; increase the focus from pre-marketing activities to postmarketing surveillance; and strengthening the existing capacity of the FDA laboratory,” Mendoza said. “The processed meat industry can look forward to improved efficiency, better service and clearer regulations through the efforts of both the NMIS and the FDA,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sangcal said the NMIS and the FDA will conduct public consultations all over the country from February to March, to clarify and address all concerns regarding the delineation of the duties and responsibilities between the two agencies.