The DA-PCC conducts a series of Business Talk on Food Safety for dairy buffalo supply chain players nationwide with a resounding emphasis on "Sa Quality Food Safety ang Priority", signifying a collective commitment to achieving higher standards of food safety.

The activity aims to enhance the DA-PCC food safety system by imparting essential knowledge to dairy suppliers participating in the milk feeding program about fundamental practices related to dairy safety across production, processing, and marketing.

“We also aim to model the identified smallholder farmers who will be attending this activity in the registration and acquisition of the license to operate from the NDA and FDA as part of the quality assurance of milk from our suppliers,” Dr. Randolph Tolentino, DA-PCC food safety focal person, said.

The training program centers on the enhancement of food safety practices, offering lectures and hands-on exercises that cover a wide range of topics in food safety. It also tackles fundamental principles of food safety, covering areas such as food hazards, safety practices within the dairy buffalo supply chain, Good Manufacturing Practices, and applied 7S in dairy production and processing.

One of the key highlights of the activity is the extensive discussion on milk quality and safety within the dairy buffalo supply chain, along with crucial insights into dairy safety practices, milk testing, environmental sanitation for dairy buffalo enterprises, solid waste management, and wastewater management for farms and milk processing centers.

Food safety refers to the conditions and actions undertaken to maintain the quality of food, thereby preventing contamination and foodborne diseases. The fundamental aim of food safety is to protect consumers from illnesses caused by the consumption of unsafe food. Foodborne diseases pose a significant concern to the food industry, affecting people worldwide due to inadequate food safety measures.

DA-PCC personnel from the Carabao Enterprise Development Section (CEDS) including Patrizia Camille Saturno, Science Research Specialist II; Teresita Baltazar, Science Research Specialist I; Dan Lowie Dacanay, quality assurance specialist; and Dr. Tolentino will serve as the resource persons for the series.

The training program, funded through the PL480 project with the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries as fund manager, and DA-PCC and the National Dairy Authority as implementing agencies, comprised four sessions. The initial session took place in Bacolod from September 11-15 and was attended by 76 DA-PCC-assisted cooperative members from the Visayas region. The second session is scheduled for September 25-29 in North Luzon, while the third and fourth sessions are planned for November in South Luzon and Mindanao, respectively.

The training is facilitated by the DA-PCC through the Monitoring and Business Planning Support Section (MBPSS), headed by Pauline Maramag.

More than 300 participants including dairy farmers, processors, and dairy outlet staff from assisted cooperatives and regional centers are expected to attend the training.