It was the only brand in the Hall of Fame rank that received the prestigious honor this year.

The brand has won in the Best Meat Establishment category more than five times, elevating it to the Hall of Fame in 2003, a result of meeting the standards of the NACOMEAT. "Maintaining our Seal of Excellence feats for years to come would prove that the plants indeed are exemplary and thus, emulated by other plants. Of course, this means reassuring consumers about the quality and safety of Magnolia Chicken products," reports Vic Antonio, VP for Operations.

Year 2007 was a banner period for the country’s outstanding chicken, both in terms of food safety and quality management system. The company embarked on a series of programs that implemented better food safety management and to work on achieving the coveted ISO 22000.

The Magnolia San Fernando plant, which processes the chicken products, has maintained and even surpassed high industry ratings to merit the Seal of Excellence award. In previous years, the distinction was given to the cleanest plant but the award has since evolved to include environmental management and operating permits for local government.

"The export plants in Tiaong, Lucena, and La Union are currently working towards replicating the achievement of San Fernando. This is not far behind considering that these plants, too, have earned the (HACCP) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) Awards," says Antonio. Of Magnolia’s companyowned and third-party plants nationwide, 37 are already HACCP and GMP-certified, with some plants earning Double A and Triple A honors.

Chicken products sourced from RP and Brazil are trusted internationally, according to Antonio, and this trust is cultivated through constant improvements on farm-tomarket methods of the Magnolia Chicken brand. "We are looking at Japan, our major customer, and we are also hoping to meet the growing demand locally, by upgrading our facilities and system and offering more products."