Antipolo City | The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Rizal, in collaboration with the DOST Rizal Food Safety Team, successfully held a two-day Training Workshop on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Basic Food Hygiene on June 5–6, 2025, with the participation of 13 local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in food processing.

The training was facilitated by OTOP NG Support Staff Famela Mata. Provincial Director Cleotilde M. Duran officially welcomed the participants with an inspiring message emphasizing the relevance of food safety in sustaining business success. Chief-Business Development Division Sharon Dioco provided an overview of the training’s objectives and flow, setting a focused and collaborative tone for the session.

The first day featured in-depth discussions by DOST Rizal OIC-Provincial Director Ms. Niña Giron, covering core topics such as Basic Food Hygiene, GMP principles, and food hazards including biological, physical, chemical, and allergenic risks. A hands-on activity allowed participants to identify physical contaminants hidden in flour, simulating real-world food safety issues and reinforcing their understanding of food hazard prevention.

Mr. R-Jay Salabao, DOST Rizal Project Technical Assistant, further enriched the session by discussing the Science of Handwashing, stressing its critical role in maintaining sanitation throughout the food handling process.

Ms. Kyle Pascual, member of the Food Safety Team, began the second day with a short recap to refresh the participants’ understanding of the previous day’s key concepts. She presented the Personal Hygiene and Cross-Contamination, followed by a dynamic demonstration using household tools to illustrate how cross-contamination can easily occur during food preparation. The activity emphasized practical steps to prevent such risks.

Further sessions were conducted by Ms. Niña Giron, who tackled topics on Food Contact Surfaces, Raw Materials Handling, Food Preparation Standards, and Pest Control Measures. A post-training test and evaluation were also conducted to gauge the participants’ grasp of the lessons.

The event concluded with an open sharing session where MSMEs expressed their appreciation for the training and their commitment to applying the practices in their respective operations.

This initiative forms part of DTI Rizal’s ongoing efforts to strengthen local MSMEs by equipping them with essential knowledge and best practices to ensure the production of quality, safe, and healthy food products. ♦

Date of Release: 10 June 2025

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