WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture is mandated to ensure the quality and safety of livestock and poultry products;

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture recognizes and adopts international standards, guidelines, recommendations issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for purposes of synchronization with that of member countries of WTO;

WHEREAS, HACCP is globally recognized set of procedures and standards for protecting the production, manufacturing, and distribution of food from contaminants and other hazards that are present in the food production processes;

WHEREAS, HACCP has been adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO), as the basic sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) standard to be applied to food producers in every country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LUIS P. LORENZO, JR. Secretary of Agriculture, do hereby issue this Order requiring all NMIC accredited "AAA" meat establishments to adopt internationally recognized Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Program in the whole process of food production and to be certified as such by NMIC.

The NMIC shall issue implementing guidelines to this effect.

This Order shall take effect after its publication in two newspapers of general circulation.

Adopted: 17 Mar. 2003

(SGD.) LUIS P. LORENZO, JR.
  Secretary