DOST, DAR conducts Food Safety training

The Food Safety Team headed by Engr. Gopo

Food safety is everybody's business and the Eastern Visayas Food Safety Team is serious on its mandate of spreading awareness of ensuring fitness for consumption the food products produced even by micro-enterprises from rural areas. The Balaquid Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative, from Brgy. Balaquid, Cabucgayan, Biliran is the latest to receive the training on Food Safety and Good Manufacturing Practices conducted last May 29-30, 2013.

Department of Agrarian Reform Biliran Provincial office provided the funding for the two-day training under its Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Program III. The Department of Science and Technology Regional Office No. VIII through the Food Safety Team and the Biliran Provincial Science and Technology Center joined hands in organizing the activity.

The training held at Balaquid Women's Building was participated by twelve members of the cooperative who are producers of fruit and vegetable pickles. Engr. Rosella Gopo, Sr. Science Research Specialist and Provincial Science and Technology Director of Samar Provincial Science and Technology Center, headed the Food Safety team's training group. Engr. Isabelita M. Pamposa and Mr. Alfred Calibuso both Science Research Specialist II of DOST-8 was part of the team. Engr. Donnie Rey Duhig, SRS I, and Mr. Teddy Abenido, SRA of DOST Biliran assisted the trainers during the activities. Ms. Nancy Obligado, Provincial Marketing Assistance Officer and Development Facilitator of DARPO Biliran served as facilitator.

The participants were taught on different aspects of Food Safety including: hand washing techniques, Chemical, Allergens, and Physical Hazards, Cross contamination, Personal hygiene, and other topics related to good manufacturing practices. Hands-on activities were conducted to let the attendees experience first hand the topics discussed.

"Damo an amon mabaruan para mas malimpyo pa ang producto (We learned a lot to make our product more clean and safe)" was the general feedback of the participants.

BARBC is mostly composed of women who are family members of Agrarian Reform beneficiaries from the Agrarian Reform Community of Balaquid Cabucgayan. Their products are papaya pickles, mango pickles, and others. Their food processing venture is an added source of income. BARBC members are all farmers.