WHEREAS, public safety and public health are paramount considerations in the importation of food from products from other countries;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to ensure the safety and quality of imported livestock and poultry products in the interest of public health and as required under the Consumer Act to the Philippines;

WHEREAS, there is a corollary and equally urgent need to prevent the entry of exotic particularly zoonotic diseases in the interest of public health and to protect the domestic poultry and livestock industries especially in the light of new and emerging diseases, cases of adulterants and residues, and other forms of food product contaminants;

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture recognizes the above need and has issued Administrative and Memorandum Orders to govern the importation of meat and meat products, semen, embryos and other livestock-based products.

WHEREAS, in the formulation and implementation of these orders, the Department is governed by the provisions of the CODEX Alimentarius of the FAO-World Health Organization for food imports in general and by the International Health Code of the Office Internationale de Epizootes (OIE) for imports of livestock and livestock products in particular;

WHEREAS, these orders and related circulars issued so far govern these products as received in the Philippines on the basis of information shared by the OIE and by the time the DA receives the OIE alert, some of he suspect shipment may have cleared customs and find their way into the market;

WHEREAS, at present, the DA imposes the requirement of a Veterinary Quarantine Certificate issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry together with an International Health Certificate issued by the country of origin as requirement for exports to the Philippines;

WHEREAS, it is necessary, as an additional precautionary measure, to undertake actual inspection of the products to be shipped at the exporting country-end or before actual shipment of the exports to the Philippines;

WHEREAS, internationally accepted measures to ensure and quality of food products for exports are A Food Safety Compliance Certificate and A Chain of Custody Checklist Certification.

NOW THEREFORE, I LEONARDO Q. MONTEMAYOR, Secretary of Agriculture do hereby issued this Order requiring

1. That all imports of meat and meat products for food must be accompanied by

(a) Food Safety Compliance Certificate and
(b) Chain of Custody Certification Check List (COCCC) as described in Annex A and Annex B, respectively, which form part of this Administrative Order.

2. These Certificates shall be issued only by an organization duly accredited by the Department of Agriculture.

3. That the cost of the issuance of these Certificates shall be borne by the exporting company or group;

4. That the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Commission shall, within 30 days from the issuance of this Order, formulate the specific guidelines for the implementation of this Order.

The issuance of these Certificates shall be an additional requirement governing imports of the above-mentioned items to the Philippines. All other Administrative Orders, Memorandum Orders and other issuance governing imports shall remain in force.

This Order shall be in effect fifteen days from its publication in two newspapers of general circulation.

LEONARDO Q. MENTEMAYOR
Secretary

            Safety of Water - Does water meet local regulatory requirements for potable water, and is there evidence of laboratory analysis (chemical/biological, physical) to support this annually? (For good manufacturing/ processing purposes).

          Prevention of Cross Contamination - is plant design, layout, workflow, equipment and processing environment appropriate to control and prevent cross contamination?

          Hand Washing, sanitizing facilities - Are hand washing, sanitizing facilities and practices/ methods appropriate?

          Protection from Food Adulteration - Are food processing, workflow practices, receiving, and handling and storage appropriate to protect against food adulteration?

           Proper Labeling and Storage - Are chemical agents and other toxic compounds appropriately labeled and stored and used correctly?

          Control Employees Health Conditions and Personal Hygiene - Are practices appropriate and effective, i.e. hairnet, jewelry, gloves, uniforms, smoking policy, face mask, food and drink policy, annual staff health checked sickness policy, etc. appropriate and documented?

          Exclusion of Pests - Is a pest control program implemented and effective? Is there a chemical safety date sheet and are only registered chemicals used?

          Education and Training - Has GMP training been implemented and documented, and is it effective?

          Waste Disposal - Are waste disposal practices appropriate to prevent potential health risks and discourage breeding of pests?

1.1 ORGANIZATION

Does the organization reporting structure reflect who has functional responsibility for food safety and quality and their interrelation?

Is delegation of authority due to absence defined?

1.2 TRAINING

Has the appropriate training been provided for those personnel completing the critical steps?

Have instructions setting out these critical tasks to be carried out been provided?

Are there training records (register) describing who has been trained in the relevant areas?

1.3 SUPPLIERS

1.3.1 PURCHASING

Does the business provide specification for goods purchased which affect product safety and quality that are suitable for use? For Example;

a. Chemicals agents
b. Packaging - is packaging material appropriate?
c. Transport meets Cold Chain Requirements.
d. Do the specifications provide for raw material in terms of its critical safety and quality parameters?

1.3.2 RAW MATERIAL INSPECTION

Is there documented evidence that raw materials have been inspected or originate from a supplier with a good supply record (eg signed receival documents)?

1.3.3 HANDLING, STORAGE, PACKING AND DELIVERY

Are the practices involved in the handling, storage, packaging and delivery been documented?

Are these practices being carried out in such a way that minimizes the risk of damage, mix-ups or improper use?

2.1 Has the business ensured the food supplied to the customer will comply with all food regulatory requirements specified in the appropriate legislation or administrative rules and regulations, and other exercises of police power of the country in which the food is to be consumed?

Is the food or food product, or its ingredients, derived from raw material or ingredient affected by infection/ contamination as declared by the Organization Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) or other international health agencies.

Are phytosanitary requirements specified and understood?

Is there a list of minimum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides, antibiotics, etc. relating to the product and as specified by country of destination legislation?

Have products been tested to validate that they meet MRLs as specified by food regulatory requirements?

3.1 RECORDS

Are quality records stored to prevent damage and deterioration?

Are the government certificates pertinent to the shipment genuine, valid, and duly issued?

Are quality records retained for a minimum of twelve months or as required by existing country food regulations?

4.1 PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION AND TRACEABILITY

Are products clearly identified?

Is the product traceable so that product recalls can be readily facilitated if required?

Are records of products identification and product destination being maintained?

Were product samples taken for analysis to validate against specification?

Does product meet product specification?

          Safety of Water - Does water meet local regulatory requirements for potable water, and is there evidence of laboratory analysis (chemical/biological, physical) to support this annually? (For food manufacturing/ processing)

          Prevention of Cross Contamination - Is plant design, layout, workflow, equipment and processing environment appropriate to control and prevent cross contamination?

          Hand Washing, sanitizing facilities - Are hand washing, sanitizing facilities and practices/ methods appropriate?

          Protection from Food Adulteration - Are food processing, workflow, practices, receiving, and handling and storage appropriate to protect against food adulteration?

          Proper Labeling and Storage - Are chemical agents and other toxic compounds appropriately labeled and stored and used correctly?

          Control of Employees Health Conditions and Personal Hygiene - Are practices appropriate and effective, i.e. hairnet, jewelry, gloves, uniforms, smoking policy, face mask, food and drink policy, annual staff health checked sickness policy, etc. appropriate and documented?

          Exclusion of Pests - Is a pest control program implemented and effective? Is there a chemical safety data sheet and are only registered chemicals used?

          Education and Training - Has Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) training been implemented and documented and is it effective?

Waste Disposal - Are waste disposal practices appropriate to prevent potential health risks and discourage breeding of pests?

1.1 COMMITMENT

Is the Quality Policy relevant to the business goals and customer needs?

Is the Quality Policy understood by all members of the business?

Has commitment been evident during all aspects of the audit?

1.1.2 ORGANIZATION

Does the organization reporting structure reflect who has functional responsibility for food safety and quality and their interrelation?

Is delegation of authority due to absence defined?

1.1.2 TRAINING

Has the appropriate training been provided for those personnel completing the critical steps?

Have instructions setting out these critical tasks to be carried out been provided?

Are there training records (register) describing who has been trained in the relevant areas?

1.2 SUPPLIERS

1.2.1 PURCHASING

Does the business provide specifications for goods purchased which affect product safety and quality that are suitable for use? For Example;

a. Chemical agents
b. Seed, seedlings, root stock
c. Packaging. Is packaging material appropriate?
d. Transport meets Cold Chain Requirements.
e. Do the specifications provide for raw material in terms of its critical safety and quality parameters?

1.2.2 RAW MATERIAL INSPECTION

Is there documented evidence that raw materials have been inspected of originate from a supplier with a good supply record (eg signed receival documents)?

1.4 CONTROL OF PRODUCTION

1.3.1 PROCESS CONTROL

          Is the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan in place (refer to the particular stage of the HACCP Plan for specific details) constructed in accordance with the 12 steps of Codex?

a. Determine Scope & Assemble the HACCP Team
b. Describe the Product
c. Identify intended use
d. Construct flow diagram
e. On site verification of flow diagram
f. List all potential hazards
g. Determine CCP's (Critial Control Points)
h. Establish critical limits for each CCP. Have critical limits been validated?
i. Establish monitoring system for each CCP
j. Establish corrective action for deviations
k. Establish verification procedures
l. Establish record keeping and documentation

Are there finished product specification?

Have all raw materials been considered during the Hazard analysis (eg Recycled Water)?

1.3.2 CORRECTIVE ACTION

          Is there a procedure for identifying and documenting the cause and resolution of significant problems affecting food quality and safety?

          Has appropriate action been taken to reduce the likelihood of the problem reoccurring?

          Is there definition of authority to initiate, implement & verify corrective action?

1.3.4 HANDLING, STORAGE, PACKING AND DELIVERY

          Are the practices involved in the handling, storage, packaging and delivery been documented?

          Are these practices being carried out in such a way that minimizes the risk of damage, mix, ups or improper use?

1.3.4 FOOD SAFETY

          Has the business ensure the food supplied to the customer will comply with all food regulatory requirements specified in the appropriate legislation of the country in which the food is to be consumed?

          Are sanitary and phytosanitary requirements specified and understood?

          Is the food or food product, or its ingredients, derived from raw material or ingredient affected by infection/ contamination as declared by the Organization Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) or other international health agencies, or otherwise expose to contamination or mingling with such substances?

          Are labeling requirements known and implemented?

          Is there a list of minimum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides, antibiotics, etc. relating to product?

          Have products been tested to validate that they meet MRLs as specified by food regulatory requirements?

1.4 INSPECTION AND TESTING

1.4.1 INSPECTION, MEASURING AND TEST EQUIPMENT

          Is all Inspection, Measuring and Testing Equipment used for monitoring activities outlined in the HACCP Plan or to demonstrate compliance with customer requirements routinely calibrated to recognized standards or to an accuracy appropriate to their use?

          Are records of calibration available?

1.4.2 INSPECTION AND TEST STATUS

          Are products or raw material, which do not meet specification, isolated and identified?

          Are sub-standard product or materials handled and disposed of in such a way that there is no risk to the integrity of acceptable products?

1.4.3 INTERNAL AUDITS

          Are internal audits scheduled and carried out to verify that activities comply with documented requirements and determine the effectiveness of the quality system and the HACCP Plan?

          Are action undertaken to correct any deficiencies found?

1.5 DOCUMENT AND DATA CONTROL

1.5.1 DOCUMENT CONTROL

          Is there a list of current documents and amendments to documents maintained to identify the current documents in place?

          Are HACCP Plans reviewed annually or when changes occur?

          Are these changes documented?

          Are the changes to HACCP plan developed, validated and verified by skilled HACCP practitioners?

1.5.2 QUALITY RECORDS

          Are the government certificates issued in the country of origin valid, genuine, and duly issued?

         Are legible quality records maintained to demonstrate that essential production processes and inspection identified in the HACCP plan have been completed, i.e. recent document changes, internal audit reports, corrective action requests, monitoring records, testing and calibration, raw material inspection reports, etc.?

          Are quality records stored to prevent damage and deterioration?

          Are quality records retained for a minimum of twelve months?

1.6 PRODUCTS IDENTIFICATION AND TRACEABILITY

          Are products clearly identified?

          Is the products traceable so that product recalls can be readily facilitated if required?

          Are records of product identification and product destination being maintained?

PRODUCT SAMPLE/ ANALYSIS

          Were product samples taken for analysis to validate against specification?

          Does product meet product specification?

a. Have minor Corrective Action Requests (CAR) from previous audit been cleared?
b. Have there been any new products, processes or HACCP Plans?
c. Have there been any recent document changes?
d. Have there been any recent personnel changes?
e. Have internal audits been carried out?
f. Have internal audit reports and CARs been effective?

Glossary :

CAR - corrective action request
GMP - good manufacturing practices
HACCP - hazard analysis critical control point
CODEX - codex alimentarius