By Mary Grace Padin with PNA
THE National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) expects meat safer to eat after officers graduate from a Food Safety Institute (FSI) in Lipa City, Batangas.
In a statement, the NMIS said there are plans to build the FSI to serve as a venue for training and workshops for food-safety regulatory officers in the country.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Regulations and NMIS Executive Director Minda S. Manantan said they envision the institute to become a training hub for NMIS trainers, NMIS and local government unit (LGU) meat-control officers, food safety officers, meat inspectors and NMIS hazard auditors and food business operators.
Manantan said they also plan to provide laboratory services and will serve as the national reference laboratory for all fresh or unprocessed meat.
“The FSI is a dream of the NMIS and hopefully, [the] next administration will see the realization of this institute,” Manantan said in a statement.
She added that the agency’s planning, information and monitoring division is tasked to prepare and formulate the project proposal for the establishment of the FSI.
The formation of a FSI, according to Manantan, is in line with the Food Safety Act of 2013, which aims to protect consumer health and facilitate market access of local foods and food products, especially fresh meat.
The director further revealed that after the NMIS had completed the construction of its administrative and laboratory buildings in the regions, the agency is now eyeing the construction of a training facility for both NMIS and LGU meat inspectors.
“The facility will eventually cover the training needs of all food-safety regulatory officers, according to the commodities,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the NMIS announced that it will be holding the Visayas leg of the public consultation on the transfer of regulatory functions over processed meat from the NMIS to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) of the Department of Health.
Local meat processors earlier expressed their concern that the “hasty” transfer of regulatory functions between the two agencies could disrupt the trade of processed meat in the country.
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 prepackaged food products, whether locally produced or imported.
The FDA assured stakeholders in the processed meat industry that it is preparing to improve the efficiency and to provide clearer regulations on processed meat.
The NMIS plan was bared after the Food and Agriculture Organization on Tuesday said it wants to ensure the protection of the food chain from contamination as insecticides are now being used to fight the Zika virus
carriers.