PORAC, Pampanga — A former backyard family business in this bucolic town has done it again. Last week, the homegrown food company gained another prestigious international recognition.
Upping the bar from local, national and now global, Mekeni Food Product (Mekeni), was conferred the Diamond Award in the prestigious 30th World Quality Commitment (WQC) Awards in Paris, France for its quality, productivity and excellence.
In accepting the award, Mekeni president Pruds Garcia attributed their success and various recognitions to the support of everyone.
“We dedicate this award to all the great people behind the success of Mekeni,” Garcia said.
“Firstly, to our founder Tatay Felix, his unquestionable desire to help others gave birth to Mekeni and for our family who unselfishly shared their resources and time to sustain the operations of the company,” he added.
The awards, under the auspices of Business Initiative Directions (BID), recognize and promotes companies, organizations and institutions that understand the dedication, continuous improvement, innovation and relentless pursuit of productivity that leads to excellence.
BID is a 30-year-old organization founded in the US and Spain. Today, it is regarded as the most effective and cost efficient organization working globally in the promotion and practical application of the Total Quality Management Models.
The primary mission at BID is the recognition, education and promotion of quality culture among leaders of prominent companies and organizations.
The top-quality food maker is accredited with “Triple A” rating by the National Meat Inspection Service for its processing plant which is a multi-awarded food company, with grand slam Best Meat Processing Plant award from 2004 to 2006.
Mekeni also has integrated the requirements of the ISO 22000:2005 standard (Food Safety Management System) in its operations.
It successfully satisfied the requirements for ISO 22000 certification during its audit, facilitated by TUV-SUD. In the process, it earned the following reputation: The first ISO ISO 22000:2005 certified Meat Processing Plant in Asia; the first ISO 22000:2005 certified Food Processing Plant in the Philippines; and the second ISO 22000:2005 certified Meat Processing Plant in the world.
Mekeni is also the First Hotdog and Marinated Meat Processing Plant with Food Safety System Certification 22000:2010 in the Philippines as certifi ed by SGS International.
In 2012, Mekeni was awarded in Geneva for its Quality Leadership by the BID. In 2013, it was conferred Platinum Award in Frankfurt Germany in recognition of the company’s Quality and Technology Innovation Program.
Mekeni is not only highly regarded for its products. Its management executives have recently joined the ranks of other top honchos of Philippine corporations in the MVP Bossing Awards.
It also takes care of employees very well, balancing its labor standards and benefits. Proof of that is its recognition by DOLE to be compliant when the agency conferred Tripartite Certificate of Compliance with Labor Standards (TCCLS).
Currently, Mekeni products are present in United Arabs Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Mekeni has also started to export their meat products in Japan.
Mekeni is the first and only meat company in the Philippines that is allowed to export to Japan under the strict supervision of the Japanese government.
