Food Entity Registration and Catering Accreditation System

Issued 10 October 2023

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to all Food Entities and Caterers on how to comply with the Food Entity Registration and Catering Accreditation System administered by the Office for Food Safety and Quality Assurance (OFSQA).

The objective of this food safety initiative is to safeguard the well-being of the university community through the implementation of a compulsory registration process. This will promote traceability and ensure the accountability of all food providers inside university premises. Furthermore, caterers must undergo an accreditation process before being allowed to serve official events with 50 attendees or more.

The OFSQA will begin accepting applications for food entity registration from 10 October 2023 onwards.

Effective 1 December 2023, the following regulations will be strictly implemented: (1) Only registered food entities will be allowed to operate, sell, or distribute food within the university grounds. (2) Only accredited caterers will be permitted to serve events with over 50 participants at any university event.

I. Food Entity Registration (Mandatory for all)

This registration requirement applies to all food-serving entities situated within the university campus. These entities may include, but are not limited to, food trucks, food kiosks, food carts, cafeteria sub-concessionaire, student-run food businesses, etc and also encompasses all other food-selling and distribution activities. Please take note that caterers are the only entities that will need accreditation.

Process of Registration

Download and accomplish the Food Entity Registration and Catering Accreditation form.

1. Submit the requirements (Mandatory Requirements by sharing the link of your saved files/folder to fsqa@ateneo.edu
   
   1. All files should be saved in .pdf before submission (file name should begin with the entity name). Example:
      
      1. Entity Name_FSQA-F-014
      2. Entity Name_Sanitary Permit
      3. Entity name_Healthcards
2. Release of Results - Turnaround time is 15 days (Incomplete requirements shall not be processed).
3. All successful registrants will be automatically enrolled in the Official List of Registered Food Entities and Accredited Caterers
4. All unsuccessful registrants may re-apply 30 days after the release of results.

Suspension of Registration Status

The Office for Food Safety and Quality Assurance (OFSQA) may impose a suspension of registration status on any registered food entity that is found to be in breach of food safety standards. This suspension may be lifted if corrective or preventive measures are taken to restore the food entity to an acceptable level of food safety.

Validity of Registration Status

The University’s fiscal year is from June to May. Approved registrations/accreditation are valid until the end of the fiscal year.

Renewal of registration

Renewal applications shall open every April for the following fiscal year.

II. Catering Accreditation (For caterers only)

_{OFSQA shall publish the list of registered food entities and accredited caterers prior to the implementation date.}

This requirement applies to all caterers that provide services for university events that involve more than 50 people. The term “catering” or “banquet” is used to describe the process of utilizing other service providers to prepare food and provide beverages for a gathering of a large number of people or in a collective setting. Examples include large gatherings, workshops, town halls, and conventions.

Process of Accreditation

1. Download and accomplish the Food Entity Registration and Catering Accreditation form.
   
   1. Put a check mark on the  Accreditation Box and Rating Applied for (B, A, AA or AAA)
2. Submit the requirements (Mandatory Requirements + Additional Requirements) by sharing the link of your saved files to fsqa@ateneo.edu.
   
   1. All files should be saved in .pdf before submission (File name should begin with the entity name: Entity Name_FSQA-F-014,  Entity Name_Sanitary Permit , Entity name_Healthcards)
3. Release of Results - Turnaround time is 15 days (Incomplete requirements shall not be processed).
4. All successful applicants will be automatically enrolled in the Official List of Registered Food Entities and Accredited Caterers.
5. All unsuccessful applicants may re-apply 30 days after release of results.

Catering Accreditation Matrix

University Packaging Guidelines

To access please download the University Packaging Guidelines.

Official List of Registered Food Entities and Accredited Caterers

OFSQA will publish a list of registered food entities and accredited caterers that will be identified in the course of the fiscal year. This list will be updated on a monthly basis.

Rating upgrade

The accredited caterers may request for a rating upgrade after the initial accreditation period. Requests for an upgrade must follow the same accreditation procedure and have a turnaround time of 15 days after the additional requirements have been submitted..

Downgrade/Suspension /Termination

The Office for Food Safety and Quality Assurance (OFSQA) may suspend, downgrade or terminate the accreditation of any caterer found by an investigation to be in violation of food safety standards. The initial suspension, downgrade or termination order may be lifted if the caterer is able to restore its operations to an acceptable food safety level through effective corrective and/or preventive measures.

Validity of Accredited Status

The University’s fiscal year is from June to May. Approved registrations/accreditation are valid until the end of the fiscal year.

Renewal of accreditation

Renewal applications shall open every April for the following fiscal year.

Limitations

Please note that the scope of this system is limited to registration and accreditation only. The organizer is responsible for handling all commercial communications between themselves and the catering services. The following are not covered by OFSQA: rental discussions, official receipt issuance, statement of account follow-up, payment follow-up, discount applications, service requests, special orders and other commercial activities that are not related to food safety.

Other ways to submit requirements

1. Through email
   
   1. Submit the requirements (Mandatory Requirements + Additional Requirements) by sending your scanned documents to  fsqa@ateneo.edu. Each file should be less than 5MB.
2. Hard copy submission
   
   1. Print hard copies of the following
      • Mandatory Requirements
      • For caterers: Additional Requirement for respective catering ratings
   2. Put in a brown envelope, seal and put document label - Entity Name_Catering Accreditation Requirements
   3. Submit hard copy to OFSQA Office - Location: 104 G/F Frank Lynch Hall, Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, 1108 Quezon City, Philippines.

Prepared by

Jerome Michael Montaner PFT
Head, Office for Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Last updated 13 October 2023

For More Information

Office for Food Safety and Quality Assurance fsqa [at] ateneo.edu