CAMIGUIN (PIA)--Mama Jita’s Food Products, owned by Julieta Butalid-Dela Cerna and situated in Maslog, Barangay Balbagon, Mambajao, Camiguin, recently acquired its License to Operate (LTO) certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), August 23, 2022.

With the help of the Department of Science and Technology-Camiguin, the firm received the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) assistance amounting to P505,000 for the technology upgrading of their tablea production.

True to the program objectives, Mama Jita's Food Products passed the FDA-LTO certification by having a standardized production process and a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-compliant facility.

Together with this milestone, the firm is now enjoying a 20% increase in production and a 22% increase in sales. The firm also employed an additional worker during its first year of operation after the SETUP intervention.

Through the SETUP's Manufacturing Productivity and Extension Program (MPEX), the firm received consultancy services from experts in 2021 in designing a GMP-compliant processing area, GMP Manual and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, Food Safety, and Packaging and Labeling.

FDA-LTO certification is a critical requirement for the food processing sector in compliance with the Food Safety Act of 2013. Acquiring the certificate means that the firm's processing plant adheres to the necessary requirements on food hygiene and GMP. (DOST-10/PIA-10/Camiguin)