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Friday, June 22, 2007
Cold chain firms warn on bird flu
By Danilo V. Adorador III
A BIRD-FLU pandemic can have disastrous consequences to the country's food security program, a group of cold-chain operators warned.
Food security issues and the Avian Flu form part of the three-day annual meeting and seminar of the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines (CCAP) in Cagayan de Oro.
The event, which will culminate Friday, tackles food security-related issues and challenges facing the food freezing and cooling industry, said CCAP president Anthony Dizon.
More than that, industry leaders are keen on investing in local economies through plant expansions among their members, said Dizon.
A cold chain is a temperature-controlled facility where commercial food products are stored to retain freshness and preserve the biological state or quality of the products upon reaching the consumers.
A P200 million cold chain facility is expected to rise inside the Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental this year.
The one-hectare Polar Bear facility can store 4,000 metric tons of food products will be operational next month, said Polar Bear manager Michael Aguilar.
Dizon said two other cold chain facilities are being built in Davao and General Santos City, adding that more will follow as the countryside continues to experience growth.
But Dizon and Aguilar admitted that aside from food producers, the cold chain industry will also suffer once the bird flu disease reaches the country.
The Philippines is the only remaining bird flu-free region in South East Asia, but Dizon said, "It's only a matter of time that bird flu will come to our shores."
To counter the threat of pandemic, CCAP is closely coordinating with industry leaders and government agencies to protect the country's food security program.
The last bird flu pandemic, which killed 1.4 million people, was recorded in 1968 in Hong Kong.
Cagayan de Oro, which is sandwiched between the region's wetlands frequented by migratory birds, has already passed an ordinance banning the hunting of migratory birds and created a bird flu task force.
The Misamis Oriental provincial government has done the same.
Councilor Simeon Licayan, the principal author of the Cagayan de Oro anti-bird flu ordinance, said prevention remains the effective weapon to keep the virus from entering the country, adding the City Government has already drawn up contingency plans once a break-out happens.
There are no available vaccines yet to protect an individual from acquiring the virus.
The cost of treatment to those diagnosed with the disease ranges from P29,000 to P65,000 depending on the severity of the patient afflicted with influenza.
Cold chain firms warn on bird flu
By Danilo V. Adorador III
A BIRD-FLU pandemic can have disastrous consequences to the country's food security program, a group of cold-chain operators warned.
Food security issues and the Avian Flu form part of the three-day annual meeting and seminar of the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines (CCAP) in Cagayan de Oro.
The event, which will culminate Friday, tackles food security-related issues and challenges facing the food freezing and cooling industry, said CCAP president Anthony Dizon.
More than that, industry leaders are keen on investing in local economies through plant expansions among their members, said Dizon.
A cold chain is a temperature-controlled facility where commercial food products are stored to retain freshness and preserve the biological state or quality of the products upon reaching the consumers.
A P200 million cold chain facility is expected to rise inside the Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental this year.
The one-hectare Polar Bear facility can store 4,000 metric tons of food products will be operational next month, said Polar Bear manager Michael Aguilar.
Dizon said two other cold chain facilities are being built in Davao and General Santos City, adding that more will follow as the countryside continues to experience growth.
But Dizon and Aguilar admitted that aside from food producers, the cold chain industry will also suffer once the bird flu disease reaches the country.
The Philippines is the only remaining bird flu-free region in South East Asia, but Dizon said, "It's only a matter of time that bird flu will come to our shores."
To counter the threat of pandemic, CCAP is closely coordinating with industry leaders and government agencies to protect the country's food security program.
The last bird flu pandemic, which killed 1.4 million people, was recorded in 1968 in Hong Kong.
Cagayan de Oro, which is sandwiched between the region's wetlands frequented by migratory birds, has already passed an ordinance banning the hunting of migratory birds and created a bird flu task force.
The Misamis Oriental provincial government has done the same.
Councilor Simeon Licayan, the principal author of the Cagayan de Oro anti-bird flu ordinance, said prevention remains the effective weapon to keep the virus from entering the country, adding the City Government has already drawn up contingency plans once a break-out happens.
There are no available vaccines yet to protect an individual from acquiring the virus.
The cost of treatment to those diagnosed with the disease ranges from P29,000 to P65,000 depending on the severity of the patient afflicted with influenza.