Dr. Minda S. Manahan of the National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS) explained during the 4th Annual Cold Chain Association of the Philippines (CCAP) conference in Davao City that the scheme is an industry-government undertaking that is also being looped to the cold chain.

She said Pork in a Box is transporting "meat-in-boxes" rather than "on-hoof". "The other concerns that are being addressed are animal health and waste management", she said.

Under the new innovation, the inventory is done on meat rather than livestock. Dr. Manahan said producers are assured of price because when live animals are transported from Mindanao to the markets in Manila the tendency is for the animals to lose weight along the way thus reducing the calculated weight at farm gate.

She also said that appropriate logistic chain (cold chain) is being adopted. In the Philippines, she said the current suppliers of Pork-In-a-Box are Pecuria Marketing, Mayon Consolidated, Agri-Freeze, Nenita Quality Foods, Gensan Food Empire, Sama-Rap Foods, and Nueva Food.

As far as export initiatives are concerned, the industry-government undertaking is focused on exportable meat and meat products which must be HACCP certified and must come from "AAA" accredited meat establishment. She said the NMIS will also ensure the export quality of all meat and meat products be seeing to it that there is no gap in chain from the production, packaging and storage of export products.

She said the government also has applied import regulations such as Administrative Order 26 series of 2005 detailing rules, regulations and standards governing the importation of meat and meat products into the Philippines. The AO also orders the Veterinary Quarantine Office to issue and sign the veterinary quarantine and meat inspection and laboratory certificate (VQMILC) and stamp "Inspected and Passed" for Transfer to NMIS Accredited Cold Storage" on the authentic copy of the Bureau of Customs import documents/entries.

Manahan, meanwhile said that in a span of five years, the accredited meat establishments continue to increase where in 2000 there were only 297 then move up to 309 in 2001, 335 in 2002, 344, 2003, 374 in 2004 and 379 in 2005.

For the accredited cold storage numbering about a dozen in 2001 it has jumped after five years to 55 in 2006. This was reflected in the NMIS record as of May 31 2006 which also indicated that were only 18 accredited cold storage in 2002, 19 in 2003, 31 in 2004, and 46 in 2005.

However same report showed that Accredited "AAA" Cold Storage were only found in Region IV-A with five, Region VII - 2, and NCR, 1.

The Accredited "AA" Cold Storage also as of May 31, 2006 were found in NCR with 22; Region I with eight and one each in Regions II, III, IV-A, V, VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII, and Caraga while Region X has four.

Source: Philippine Information Agency (PIA) - 4th July 2006