Some 150 market vendors in Iloilo City have been trained on food safety.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Regulations and the Visayas (OASRV) of the Department of Agriculture in partnership with the City Government, National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Regional Office are conducting a three-day educational campaign on protocols and good practices on meat safety at Diamond Jubilee Hall Sept. 19-21.
They are training market vendors and meat handlers from markets of La Paz and Jaro districts, and Iloilo Terminal Market and Iloilo Central Market in City Proper.
“This initiative aims to educate and make our vendors and meat handlers aware of the importance of safety and sanitation. All vendors should be able to adapt to our law specifically in terms on how to display and store their products in the market,” Local Economic and Enterprise Office (LEEO) head Jose Ariel Castañeda said.
He added that awareness will also lessen the possibility of meat-related diseases.
Castañeda also updated the participants on collection of fines for violations, monitoring of cash ticket remittances, and meetings and seminars conducted for the employees of LEEO and vendor.
DA Assistant Secretary for Regulations and the Visayas Atty. Hansel Didulo was present during the activity.
Topics being discussed include the Food Safety Act by Dr. Maria Lourdes Bernadette M. Joco of Office of the Assistant Secretary for Regulations; Good Practices on Transportation of Live Animals by Dr. John Hilario of BAI, Regional Veterinary Quarantine Office VI; and Proper Meat Handling Practices by Dr. Emmanuel Lemana of NMIS-6. (Merianne Grace Ereñeta/ Iloilo City PIO)
