Philippines to Adopt the Philippine National Standards (PNS) and Its Recommended Code of Practices (RCP) for Processed Food Products as Technical Regulation

Upon approval of the draft, compliance with the PNS and RCP for processed food will become mandatory. The draft covers all imported and locally manufactured processed food products under the jurisdiction of the FDA.

On November 20, 2023, the Philippines FDA issued a draft regarding the adoption of the Philippine National Standards (PNS) and its Recommended Code of Practices (RCP) for processed food products as technical regulation. All concerned stakeholders may submit comments to [email protected] prior to December 5.

Background

The Philippines FDA has issued many PNS and RCP for processed products in partnership with other concerned agencies through Technical Working Groups, such as PNS/BAFS 185:2022 Honey, PNS/BAFS 210:2017 Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk, etc. These PNS and RCP are used as reference for the quality and safety standards for products and their processing procedures. Currently, most of them are non-mandatory.

Objective

The draft of PNS and RCP adoption covers all imported and locally manufactured processed food products under the jurisdiction of the FDA. Specifically, it aims to adopt the standards of identity of the applicable processed products, and also the recommended codes of practice for the manufacture of the applicable products.

General rules

The PNS and RCP of processed food products, such as those listed in Annex A, shall be adopted as technical regulations. It shall be mandatory to comply with these standards to obtain the approval of processed food registration application. For processed food products without existing PNS and RCP, the latest Codex standards shall be adopted.

Specific rules

Food registration: Specifications of the product complying with the standard shall be declared upon the application for processed food registration. Besides, Certificate of Analysis (COA) for medium and high risk processed food products shall be submitted as part of the registration requirements within 12 months from the date of application. The registration process and requirements shall be in accordance with Administrative Order 2014-0029 and FDA Circular 2020-033, as well as their latest revisions.

Food labeling: A processed food product may be labeled as prescribed in the standard of identity only if it conforms to the specifications indicated in the PNS prior to its manufacture. Besides, the labeling shall be in accordance with Administrative Order No. 2014-0030 and its latest revisions.

Microbiological quality: All processed food products shall conform to the microbiological parameters as per the FDA Circular No. 2022-012 and its latest revision.

Transitional period

After this regulation takes effect, a maximum of two years will be given for Food Business Operators (FBOs) to comply with the new provisions.