Pampanga-based food and meat processor Mekeni Food Corporation has remained optimistic about its operations for 2021 despite the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s top official said.

In a statement, Mekeni President Prudencio Garcia said that “despite the negative impact of the pandemic, Mekeni continues to adopt a bullish attitude in doing business in the new and better normal.”

For this year, the company committed to innovate and “to continue changing the game for the food manufacturing industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Our path to recovery is clear: we will continue prioritizing our people and our community’s welfare with malasakit and Bayanihan engraved in our services,” Garcia said.

In 2020, Mekeni came up with several long-term solutions to augment the livelihood of those who have been displaced and crippled by the economic crisis brought by the pandemic.

Among these programs include the Mekeni Home2Home Delivery, reseller programs for distributors and employees, and the Bayani product line.

Mekeni is among the first companies that made the delivery of frozen processed goods possible.

“Wading through uncharted waters over the past few months has been extremely difficult, but we have remained steadfast and resilient because of our people and communities that we serve. We have established programs and implemented agile operations to keep the business afloat while we prioritize our people’s welfare in the face of the crisis,” Garcia further said.

It was in late 2019 when Mekeni faced controversies after samples of its processed pork products have been tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF), a fatal animal disease among hogs.

At the time, Mekeni voluntarily withdrew all its pork-based products to help resolve the problem of the continuous spread of ASF.

It also tapped Standard Global Services (SGS), the world’s leading inspection and verification company, for the independent audit of its products.

A month later, the company was able to take back its government clearance to distribute its pork-based products, specifically the Mekeni Picnic Red Classic Hotdog 500g and Skinless Longaniza 200g.

ASF, a fatal animal disease affecting pigs and wild boars with up to 100 percent case fatality rate, can’t infect humans and is not considered a food safety risk, but it can be spread indirectly through people’s clothing, footwear, vehicles, farm equipment, and livestock feed.

Right now, ASF persists in all island regions in the Philippines, namely Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.