MALAYBALAY CITY (PIA)--Members of the Dalwangan Malaybalay United Dairy Agrarian Reform Cooperative (DAMAUDARC) now adopt Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the daily production of cow’s milk as the Department of Science and Technology provides Food Safety Training and various science and technology interventions to upskill employees of a dairy cooperative from Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
The two-day training aims to advance the knowledge and skills of 64 cooperative members in basic food handling, food safety hazards, and GMP. It also intends to increase plant efficiency by incorporating improved processes into production.
The training speakers were DOST-10's in-house food safety expert Lesli Uy and Erwin Geli, owner of Geli Foods and GMP speaker.
Geli emphasized implementing control measures and maintaining strict documentation and record-keeping practices.
The training, held on November 9-10, 2023, built active participation from 26 dairy farmers directly engaged in production. The project collaborated with the Malaybalay City Government's Agriculture Office, with Richard Leono, Officer-in-Charge, expressing gratitude to DOST for running the project.
Lesli Uy, DOST-10 Science Research Specialist, discusses applying food safety knowledge to boost dairy practices. (JHC/DOST 10)
“Nagpasalamat mi sa DOST for their assistance and support. Naa na gyud atong dugay nga gipangandoy ug kani nga food safety training ang first step para ma realize nato atong goal nga naa na gyud tay dairy processing diri sa Malaybalay City. (We appreciate DOST's assistance and support. This food safety training is our first step towards establishing a dairy processing facility in Malaybalay City)," he said.
DOST assisted the cooperative in adopting a GMP-compliant plant layout and organizational structure, a crucial step towards obtaining a License to Operate and Product Registration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
DAMAUDARC initially received assistance from the agency through the CEST (Community Empowerment through Science and Technology) program in 2018.
Through a partnership with Malaybalay local government, DAMAUDARC obtained various equipment from DOST, including an automatic liquid packaging machine, ultraviolet sterilizer, thermal batch/code printer, tubular heater, holding tank, and batch pasteurizer, among other equipment units.
Dairy farmers conducted their first production on October 25, 2023, producing 485 liters of milk from October to November.
Their fresh and chocolate milk is now displayed and available for sale at their processing plant, soon to be showcased at the Malaybalay City Agri-Food Display in Malaybalay City Hall. The one-liter fresh milk and chocolate milk cost P100 and P110, respectively.
Dalwangan Malaybalay United Dairy Agrarian Reform Cooperative (DAMAUDARC) training attendees meet with representatives from the City Agriculture Office of Malaybalay and DOST Bukidnon. (JHC/DOST 10)
Product development and innovation continue, with a forthcoming launch event to formally introduce the dairy milk products.
DOST remains committed to supporting the project through additional consultancy services, including packaging, labeling, FDA license acquisition, and the Manufacturing Productivity Extension Program. (JHC, DOST 10/PIA 10/Bukidnon)
(L-R) Owen Hazel Lagria from City Agriculture Office, DOST’s Goldy Cordero, Provincial Director Ritchie Mae Guno of DOST Bukidnon, Supervising Agriculturist Field Operations Division Engr. Ian Alcontin, and DAMAUDARC Board of Director Greg Galupo at the processing facility for product testing and development. (JHC/DOST 10)
