Local coconut products to meet global standards

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) recently launched its food safety campaign, boosting efforts to help coconut products comply with international standards. Intended to reduce cancer-causing aflatoxin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coconut products, the initiative is part of a multisectoral effort involving coconut farmers, millers, traders, officials from the government agencies and from the European Union (EU) Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines. The launch was simultaneously carried out in Zamboanga City, Davao City, Lucena City, Catarman City, and Calbayog City, the country’s major coconut producers, according to a statement released by the PCA. “The food safety campaign reinforces PCA’s advocacy not only to improve farm productivity but more specifically to help our coconut farmers improve the quality of copra they produce," PCA Administrator Oscar Garin said. Under the EU-funded Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA), the PCA has awarded 15 two-burner kukum dryers to 15 coconut farmers-cooperatives across the country to assist the farmers in shifting from drying their copra under the sun or in direct smoke-dryers (tapahan). A kukum dryer is designed to send off heat unto the coconut meal without the dirt from the road if it is by the sun-drying or without the smoke if drying by the kiln. Improperly dried copra is vulnerable to fungal invasion largely by Aspergillus flavus, the fungus that produces toxic metabolites known as aflatoxin, and on the other hand, it may contain PAH due to surface contact of smoke. PAH is a cancer-inducing compound and known as a genotoxic carcinogen. International food safety standards set the limit of aflatoxin contamination at 20 ppb (parts per billion).Meanwhile, the German Society for Edible Oils proposed an upper limit of 5 ppb for heavy PAH together with a total PAH content of less than 25 ppb. Under the TRTA Programme, 550 coconut farmers have been trained in proper copra drying using the kukum dryers and in moisture reading, while 240 coconut-based food processors have also received training on food safety handling, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). Copra produces crude coconut oil and copra cake as residue which are major export commodities of the Philippines. Until recently, EU imports averaged 447,504 tons of coconut oil annually for the last 10 years principally from the Philippines but this has decreased due to increasing demand for safe food. Coconut oil comprises 4.18 percent of the world’s production of all vegetable oils. The oil is also used in the manufacture of non-food products such as soaps, detergents and cosmetic products. Copra cake is a principal ingredient in the manufacture of livestock feed. The risk pathway of aflatoxin leads up to milk production when feedstuff contains aflatoxin-contaminated copra cake. There are about 3.5 M households directly dependent on coconut farming. “The public health concern where the PCA plays a critical role by ensuring food safety in the major commodity brings into focus that we, as consumers have a shared responsibility. And this responsibility is to establish an uninterrupted chain of food safety from farm to fork to reduce health risk associated with our commodity and to ensure long-term sustainability of our exports to world market" Garin added. The overall objective of the EU-TRTA is to assist the Philippines build an enabling economic environment and improve economic governance with a view to significantly enhance trade and investment with the EU. It has four components namely, Technical Barrier to Trade, Trade Facilitation and Customs Reform, WTO Capacity-Building, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measure under which this food safety campaign of PCA is being pursued. The EU-TRTA is partly funded with 3.5 million euro from EC contribution. The TRTA program is managed by the Trade, Industry and Utilities Staff of the National Economic and Development Authority. - GMANews.TV