Tropical fruit company gets food safety seals

Global FoodSolutions, Inc. has solidified its world-class status after securing coveted Food Safety System Certifications.

Global FoodSolutions Inc. (GFSI) is the first Philippine tropical fruit preserves manufacturer to receive Food Safety System Certification 22000:2010 (ISO 22000: 2010) from Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS).

Among the GFSI products certified by SGS were tropical fruit preserves, frozen fruits and vegetables, desserts and pasteurized sauteed shrimp paste/salted tiny shrimp.

GFSI also earned the distinction as early as 2010 as the first Philippine company certified by SGS for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

The company’s marine products such as shrimp paste or bagoong are European Union (EU)-certified by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Also, the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines gave halal certification to all of its products, enabling it to market in the Middle East.

Last September, GFSI received the 2013 Philippine Quality Challenge Award from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as part of the Philippine Quality Challenge. This capped a successful run for siblings Noreen Young-Ong, Nicole Pamela Young, Philip Norman Young and Patrick Noel Young who continued the family interest and tradition in food business four years ago.

GFSI is now also a member of Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) having successfully passed Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA) audit by SGS last January 2014.

“The significance of all these certifications are seals of excellence of food safety management rendering our food products globally competitive,” said Noreen, President of GFSI.

“With these welcome and encouraging certifications, we now have a level playing field vis-a-vis our regional counterparts, as we gear toward the Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration come 2015,” she added.