Philippine food giant San Miguel eyes exports to Gulf Arab states after halal certification
Philippines’ The Pure Foods Hormel Company is eyeing exports to the Gulf Arab states after two of its facilities received halal certification.
The company, created in 1999 as a joint venture of the country’s largest F&B firm San Miguel and U.S.-based Hormel, manufactures processed meat products in the Philippines.
The Pure Foods Hormel’s facilities for the production of Purefoods Corned Beef and Tender Juicy Chicken Franks are halal-certified by UAE-based Prime Group, the certifier said in a statement on Sunday.
Prime is recognised by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) as a halal certification body.
The halal certification following ESMA’s standards will allow The Pure Foods Hormel to sell its products into the UAE and the rest of the Gulf Arab states.
“Additional products in the company’s diverse food portfolio are also expected to be available soon, once they are found to be in compliance with the certification requirements,” said Prime.
Pure Foods Hormel said working with Prime for halal certification is part of its “continuing efforts to expand into the UAE and the greater Middle East market”.
“Carrying halal certification assures our long-time and first-time consumers that the products we offer are in compliance with strict regulatory standards,” said The Pure Foods-Hormel Company’s Raul Nazareno.
The company also has a presence elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where it operates as P.T. San Miguel Pure Foods Indonesia, and San Miguel-Hormel (VN) Co. in Vietnam.
Parent company San Miguel Food and Beverage is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and is owned by diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation. The F&B unit is divided into three business groups manufacturing beer and non-alcoholic beverages, spirits, and food.
San Miguel F&B’s net income dipped 5 per cent to 14,670 million pesos ($280.4 million) for the first half of 2019 versus the same period last year. Its Pure Foods subsidiary's net income plunged 85 per cent to 447 million pesos, according to San Miguel Corp in a bourse filing on August 8.
Its most popular brands include Magnolia for chicken, ice-cream and dairy products, Monterey for fresh and marinated meats, and Purefoods for refrigerated processed meats and canned meats.
($1 = 52.32 Philippine pesos)
© SalaamGateway.com 2019 All Rights Reserved
