Jollibee Group Reinforces Global Food Safety Standards and Practices

During the webinar, Biomedix Founder and CEO Dr. Claver Bundac (top right frame) emphasized the importance of sustainability in food processing to ensure a safe and viable future for subsequent generations. The WFSD activities were organized by the Global Quality Management Team led by Wally Mateo, Vice President and Head of Global QM (bottom center).

In keeping with its mission to provide people with food they can trust and to instill a culture of food safety throughout its global supply chain and operations, the Jollibee Group has strengthened its global food safety standards and practices in time for World Food Safety Day (WFSD) on June 7, 2024.

The theme of this year's WFSD, "Food safety: prepare for the unexpected," is aptly chosen to emphasize the significance of being ready for food safety incidents in which there is a known or suspected health risk connected to food consumption. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that eating contaminated food causes over 200 diseases and that each year, one in ten people worldwide become ill from eating unsafe food. 

“We have always believed in harnessing the collaborative power of our employees, partners, and stakeholders in advocating and adopting solutions that enhance food safety in our organization. We hope to nurture these commitments further. With programs that center on proper labeling, minimizing food waste and loss, as well as food security, we aim to raise awareness on food safety issues that affect not just our stores but also the entire enterprise. Food safety has always been Jollibee Group’s anchor in serving great-tasting food and maintaining customer satisfaction. The Company will continue building on its strong foundation of food safety and quality practices to live its mission of bringing the joy of eating to everyone––now and in the future. To all our JFC colleagues, may our collective efforts pave the way for a resilient and sustainable future, where both our plates and the planet thrive harmoniously.” ~Wally Mateo, Jollibee Group Vice President and Head of Global Quality Management

Jollibee Group Vice President and Head of Global Quality Management Wally Mateo emphasized the importance of collaboration in promoting a culture of food safety.

Cultivating consciousness on food safety standards

National Sanitation Foundation APAC Managing Director Jyoti Bhasin said food safety is a collective responsibility that requires transparency, commitment, consistency, and communication. Through collaboration, individuals and organizations can improve their problem-solving capabilities, enhance communication processes, and develop consistent food safety standards.

The three focal points of the Jollibee Group's 2024 WFSD celebration were transparency & traceability, food safety, and food quality. The company's Joy for Tomorrow global sustainability agenda serves as the foundation for these focus areas. Joy for Tomorrow has three pillars, one of which is food—making sure the company keeps serving food that people can rely on. 

On June 3, the Jollibee Group hosted a webinar featuring Dr. Claver E. Bundac, the founder and CEO of BioMedix, and Jyoti Bhasin, the managing director of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Asia-Pacific (APAC). 

In contrast to NSF, which is an independent organization that supports standards development, product certification, testing, auditing, education, and risk management for public health and the environment, BioMedix is a biotech manufacturing and distribution company that specializes in food safety testing systems.

More than 1,800 people from the Jollibee Group's operations, support departments, and international suppliers attended the webinar. The resource experts discussed the value of teamwork in reducing concerns related to food safety as well as sustainable methods and technologies in food processing. 

Commitment to Food Safety. As part of its commemoration of World Food Safety Day celebration in June, the Jollibee Group extended its promotion of food safety standards to its customers through food safety stickers that its brands like Jollibee in the Philippines, Vietnam, and UAE, Tim Ho Wan and Yonghe King in China, placed on delivery orders. The sticker included a scannable QR code that links to the Company’s commitment to food safety.

In order to guarantee a secure and prosperous future for future generations, Dr. Bundac of BioMedix underlined the necessity of incorporating sustainable practices into food processing and business operations. Director Bhasin of NSF APAC, for her part, discussed the importance of working together between businesses, government agencies, and consumers to improve food safety procedures, overcome obstacles, and lower food safety risks. 

In order to integrate the clean design standards for its new stores, the Jollibee Group has also released an instructional video for its operations teams to watch. The video covers the enhanced Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements. 

Aside from delivery safety seal stickers, the Jollibee Group's brands in China, the Philippines, and the Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia (EMEAA) Regions also distributed scannable QR codes with brief explanations of WFSD and the company's adherence to international food safety standards.  

About Jollibee Group 

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,900 stores across 33 countries. 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 92% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. The Company also established a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. Recently, the Jollibee Group signed agreements to own 10% ownership in Botrista, a leader in the beverage technology space. The Company also owns a 90% participating interest in Titan Dining Partners II Ltd to further grow Asia Pacific food service brands and/or bring strong global food service brands to Asia Pacific.

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the Company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' Most Admired Company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The Company is also a three-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award and was recently cited in TIME’s List of the World’s Best Companies and Fortune Southeast Asia 500 List. 

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com