Filipino farmers and food processors work hard to deliver high-quality, tasty, and affordable food to feed the nation. As food technologists and consumers of their products, it is only proper to support and assist them in ways that could enhance their processes. Heeding to this responsibility, the UPV-SoTech Dairy Research Team conducted a food safety training workshop focused on dairy carabao farmers and milk processors. With Mr. Jan Roland Molina, Ms. Wendee Marbebe, Mr. Roi Sirach Lagon, and Ms. Charnie Nieles, the organizing team was led by Dr. Jihan Santanina Santiago-Alumbro.
The food safety training workshop for dairy carabao farmers and milk processors was held in Brgy. Maite Grande, Lambunao, Iloilo on December 10, 2021. A total of thirteen (13) farmers and six (6) milk processors coming from five (5) municipalities in Iloilo province attended the said event. The participants from the municipalities of Calinog, Lambunao, Duenas, and Bingawan are members of Calinog Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (CAF-Agri Coop) with their chairman, Mr. Marlon Cerbo. The other participants are members of Leon Confed Farmers Dairy Association (LECOFADA) under the leadership of Mr. Perlito Echeche, with a milk processing center in the municipality of Leon. These organizations were formed through the continued assistance from the Philippine Carabao Center at West Visayas State University (PCC at WVSU), headed by its regional director, Dir. Arn Granada.
The training was supported by the presence of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, namely: Dir. Arn Granada of PCC at WVSU, Mr. Reno Palec of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of Calinog, and Dr. Darin Corcolla of the MAO of Leon. Representatives from Waffle Time Incorporated, headed by Ms. Jaira Marie Jegonia and her team, Ms. Selina Trimañez and Ms. Alyssa Abian, also graced the event. The speakers, Mr. Molina and Dr. Alumbro, emphasized the relevance of good hygienic practices and preventing time-temperature abuse in handling, processing, and storing milk from farm to consumers. The participants gained insights on food safety from a combination of short lectures, hands-on workshops, and sharing of experiences.
The training was part of the DOST-PCIERRD funded project, "Valorization of Carabao’s Milk Produced in Western Visayas for the New Normal", a collaborative research project of UPV-SoTech with Waffle Time Incorporated. The event was successfully conducted following health protocols such as proper ventilation of the venue, wearing masks, and physical distancing.
