Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), through its Operations Services Department – Quality Assurance Division (OSD-QAD), conducted a writeshop on the finalization of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) for PFDA Regional Fish Ports (RFP), at the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Quezon City, on October 7 to 11, 2024. 

The primary objective of the five-day writeshop is to finalize a comprehensive SSOP manual to ensure the consistent and effective implementation of sanitation protocols across all PFDA RFPs, particularly in their market halls and cold storage facilities. 

Mr. Dennis E. Tiotangco, former Chief of the Fisheries Inspection Unit of the Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Division at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, was the resource speaker during the SSOP workshop.

This writeshop directly supports the achievement of the Agency’s five-year plan to acquire Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification for PFDA facilities and processes. 

Furthermore, this writeshop represents a crucial step towards aligning all port operations with international regulations and standards, such as the European Union's Codex Alimentarius (Food Code).

Moreover, the participants discussed the incentivization of the Check F.R.E.S.H. Program. This program aims to promote food safety and sanitation measures in PFDA RFPs by persuading fish port clients that achieving safer fish ports is possible through cooperation and positive reinforcement.

Eighteen (18) officials and personnel across all nine PFDA RFPs actively participated in the five-day activity.

(Public Information Division with report from OSD-QAD)