Tanmia, the leading chicken meat processing company in the Middle East, welcomed HE Minister of Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan, HE Minister of Environment Mohammad Machnouk, and HE Minister of Agriculture Akram Chehayeb, represented by the GM of the Ministry Louis Lahoud, in addition to media representatives, to a visit at its factory in Ablah, Beqaa on April 15, 2015.
The visit included a guided tour of the facility to allow the guests to witness and experience, first-hand, the processing and further processing of chicken and the superior level of quality control throughout the hour enabled the guests to understand the sequence details of the chicken value chain from farm to fork, highlighting the key factors that make Tanmia the leader in its industry, ranging from its quality assurance to its environment protection.
Following a warm welcome to all guests, Founder of Tanmia, Eng. Musa Freiji, shed the light on the pivotal role Tanmia played in developing the poultry production since 1997 and asked the ministers to adopt the protection of the poultry industry from illegal smuggling from Syria and importation from Jordan and the gulf, in addition to doubling the customs taxes for all frozen imported products in order to double and support local production, hence creating more job opportunities for the Lebanese.
HE Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan, said, "Our visit to Tanmia represented a visit to all local food production factories in Lebanon." He added, "We should promote our local industry because the Lebanese production is an Arab, regional and international pride." He also encouraged all media partners to shed the light on all positive points regarding food safety and remove any tags carrying the word 'food corruption' as it has already tampered with the Lebanese economy. He also confirmed that 90% to 95% of the food industry is compatible with all required safety standards and there are only up to 10% of irregularities, which is present in all countries around the world.
As for HE Minister of Environment Mohammad Machnouk, he said, "I regret not visiting Tanmia years ago when I was invited by my good friend Musa Freiji, to learn what I have learned today at this factory which is considered Lebanon's pride in terms of the excellent environmental and safety standards they abide by." He continued by saying, "We visited the section related to the water and waste treatment and this facility produces water safe for irrigation and follows the utmost environmental friendly processes with high costs that surpass half a million dollars. This proves Tanmia's dedication to the environment and industry as a whole in Lebanon." H.E. also asked all broadcast media partners to share the factory tour footage for all Lebanese to see.
From his side, Mr. Louis Lahoud, representing HE Minister of Agriculture Akram Chehayeb, said, "We would like to take this opportunity to thank Tanmia for its efforts in developing the industry, specifically with regards to food safety, and we would also like to congratulate it for its fifteenth year anniversary. We reaffirm the importance of the cooperation between both the public and private sectors, especially in optimizing all production processes and increasing the Lebanese consumer's awareness on their right to consuming healthy, nutritious products."
Rima Freiji, Chairman of the Board at Tanmia, was pleased and honored to have the ministers and the media visit Tanmia and witness what has been achieved for almost 20 years now including modernized illness-free farms and a slaughterhouse adopting the highest degrees of safety and environmental friendly standards like no other in Lebanon.
