Reno dissed for incomplete permits

MANILA, Philippines — While the manufacturer of the popular liver spread brand Reno has an existing license to operate (LTO) as food repacker, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday said the firm failed to secure a certificate of product registration (CPR) that would ensure that its product passed through the safety and quality standards before they were released to the public.

In a statement, the FDA explained that regulatory laws require that food processing companies have to secure an LTO, an authorization granted to manufacturers, repackers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, traders who passed FDA guidelines such as good manufacturing practices; and a CPR, which entails checking of the safety and quality of a respective product with applicable standards and issuances before their products can be released in the Philippine market.

According to the regulatory body, Reno Foods Inc., the manufacturer of the liver spread, secured an LTO as a “food repacker” in 2017 following an inspection by the FDA.

The manufacturer was then asked to secure a CPR for their products, including Reno Liver Spread, so they could be allowed to release their products to the market. However, FDA said, the company “failed to secure” it.

Compliance history

“In 2017, the company applied for the variation of their LTO to include their product line as manufacturer of processed meat products. Upon inspection of the FDA, the company was granted approval of the LTO as manufacturer. However, FDA inspectors instructed the company to secure CPRs for their products, including Reno Brand Liver Spread,” the FDA said.

This year, FDA inspectors collected samples of Reno Liver Spread for verification of their CPR. But upon extensive search of FDA databases, the mentioned liver spread failed to secure a CPR, the FDA added.

“Thus, the FDA has a responsibility to inform the public, through an advisory, that Reno Liver Spread is not registered as of this date as a processed food product and must secure the required authorization from this office,” said the regulatory office.

In an advisory on Wednesday, the FDA warned the public against consuming unregistered food products, including Reno Liver Spread, which has been on the store shelves since 1958.

“Since these unregistered food products and food supplements have not gone through the evaluation process of the FDA, the agency cannot assure its quality and safety,” the FDA said in documents signed by Rolando Enrique Domingo, its director general.

Local governments and law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, have been directed to ensure that the products are “not sold or made available in the market.”

Violations will be enforced with fines of up to P500,000, or imprisonment of no more than 10 years.

Domingo earlier said it was likely the 62-year-old product had never been issued a CPR “ever since” as they could not find it in their database.