RFM's meat plant secures halal accreditation

MANILA, Philippines - Listed food and beverage company RFM Corp. said its meat processing plant secured halal certification, allowing it to produce hotdogs, frankfurters, and sausages for more than 1.9 billion Muslims around the world. The Islamic Da’Wah Council of the Philippines, the country’s only halal certifying body recognized by the World Halal Council, gave its accreditation to the company’s meat facility in Cabuyao, Laguna, the company said. The facility is the first and the only halal-certified meat processing plant in the country, RFM said. ‘Halal’ refers to products that do not contain prohibited substances, indicating that these have been prepared and processed in accordance with strict standards for purity, nutrition, and quality. This halal certification is supported by the facility’s HACCP and “AAA" accreditation, allowing it to sell goods abroad, RFM said in a statement. HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, is a system that identifies, evaluates, and controls biological, chemical and physical hazards in food products. Meanwhile, the triple A rating is a certification awarded after audit of plant facilities by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), RFM said. “It is estimated that over 70 per cent of Muslims worldwide strictly follow halal food standards, and the global halal food market is currently a $560-billion industry. Even non-Muslims look for the halal seal and consider halal certification as a higher level of quality assurance," RFM President and CEO Jose A. Concepcion III said in a statement. Shares of RFM Corp. remained unchanged at P0.23 apiece during Wednesday’s trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). Its top stockholders as of September this year include Raul T. Concepcion, who heads the Consumer and Oil Price Watch, and former beauty queen Aurora Pijuan-Manotoc. - GMANews.TV