In line with the celebration of National Nutrition Month, the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Caraga reinforces its commitment to consumer protection by expanding its information dissemination efforts.

On July 1, the DA-Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section (RAFIS) convened the local media partners for a media briefing to highlight the importance of Food Safety Act of 2013 or Republic Act No. 10611.

Food Safety Act seeks ensures safe, high quality agricultural produce in accordance with the Philippine National Standards (PNS). It promotes food safety at every stage—from planting and processing, all the way to consumption.

According to Regional Executive Director Arlan M. Mangelen, the DA, through its Regulatory Division, continues to implement programs focused on producing safe, clean, and high-quality agricultural products. These include Food Safety Certifications such as Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), and the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS).

“We continue to implement food safety programs on the ground. Through the sustained rollout of certifications like GAP, GAHP, and PGS, we help our farmers earn while delivering safe, high-quality, and affordable agricultural products,” RED Mangelen said.

As of May 23, 2025, Caraga region has 96 GAP-certified farms, 1 GAHP-certified farm, 10 PGS-certified Organic Farmer-Members and 1 accredited PGS-Organic Certifying Body. These figures show that many farmers in the region still have the potential to benefit from food safety certification programs.

With this, Regulatory Division Chief Johnny Concon urged broadcasters to help raise public awareness especially among farmers about food safety risks and how product certification can protect the health of both producers and consumers.

“Through your channels, we hope to reach more farmers and raise awareness about the value of food safety certifications. With only a few farms certified so far, there’s still a significant opportunity for others to benefit from these programs—not just to safeguard public health, but also to uplift our farmers and the quality of their produce,” Concon emphasized. (Lovely Joy L. Saludez/DA-Caraga, RAFIS)