Local food exporters urged to prepare for globalization

An official of Philexport has stressed the need to keep the country's food export industry within international standards to maintain its competitiveness in a very demanding market.

Marylou Florendo, Philexport food sector trustee, said that "in an open global agora, world consumers will judge food products by its quality and its suitability to their discriminating tastes."

Florendo said "it is imperative that we reengineer the country's food export sector to make our products at par with, if not better than, those that other countries offer."

In a recent Philexport meeting, Florendo said an aggressive nationwide campaign would be conducted for food companies to make them aware of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) which is a requirement to be able to export to the United States, the country's major importer of food products.

She said the Food Development Center, a HACCP-accredited entity, is one of several agencies that issues the export go-ahead.

Florendo added that food firms should also develop sound solid waste management, noting that many food processing companies have failed to properly dispose their wastes.

She envisioned a solid waste management program that would evolve into a disposal system applicable to the Philippine setting.

The program, she said, aims to bond food companies from among whom will be organized a core group of food firms.

She added that yields should also be increased as the government adds more infrastructure in the countryside.

In cooperation with the Phil Trade Training Center, seminars and the like would be conducted.