Geline Salac

4 tons of mishandled, undocumented meat seized in Dasmariñas

Article (news)

MISHANDLED MEAT

MISHANDLED MEAT 2

Bea Cuadra

ABS-CBN News

Authorities confiscated over 4,400 kilograms of mishandled and undocumented frozen meat during an early morning joint operation at a public market in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Wednesday, July 22.The enforcement action was carried out by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Central Office, Regional Office 4A, and NCR divisions, alongside the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Department of Agriculture - Inspectorate and Enforcement (DAIE).The NMIS seized a total of 4,409.66 kilograms of pork, chicken, and beef.The operation targeted non-functioning refrigerated vans containing soft meat packed in damaged boxes, as well as market stalls displaying frozen meat out in the open instead of storing it in freezers or chillers.A total of 631.52 kilograms were confiscated directly from these display tables.NMIS Region IV-A Director Dr. Eduardo Oblena said the operation was part of their regular enforcement efforts in public markets.&quot;Nandito po tayo sa pamilihan sa lungsod ng Dasmariñas, dito po sa tinatawag nilang Kadiwa Market upang mag-conduct po ng monitoring ng mga inilalako ditong mga karne. Both &#x27;yung mga newly slaughtered tsaka &#x27;yung mga refrigerated meat o kaya mga frozen meat o &#x27;yung mga pinalamig na,&quot; he said.Many of the items lacked official documentation.&quot;Karamihan po sa mga pinalamig na karne dito ay mga angkat po. Kaya lang po wala pong katibayan na legal po &#x27;yung pagkakaangkat dahil majority po dito ay undocumented. Pagka undocumented, considered as ‘hot meat’ na po,&quot; Dr. Oblena explained.Inspectors noted that temperature mishandling compromised the safety of the products. Frozen meat must be maintained at standard temperatures between -18°C and -10°C.&quot;Isa pong matatawag natin ding ‘hot meat’ ay &#x27;yung mga mishandled na, &#x27;yung wala na po sa tamang temperatura. Ang standard maintaining temperature po ng mga frozen ay dapat ay... nasa minus 18 degrees centigrade. Ito man po ay tumaas, dapat hindi ito lalabis o mas mataas sa negative 15 or negative 10,&quot; Dr. Oblena noted.&quot;At kahit po nasa ganyan pa pong temperatura, pero ito ay nakabuyangyang sa ibabaw ng kanilang stall, ito po ay considered as mishandling practices na kung saan nalulusaw po &#x27;yung karne at nag-ooze ang kanyang natural juices. At &#x27;yung mga vacant spaces po, &#x27;yung mga inter-cellular spaces na nabakantehan ng meat juices, &#x27;yun po ang inaatake ng mikrobyo,&quot; he added.Consuming spoiled or contaminated meat poses severe health risks to the public, particularly vulnerable groups.&quot;So ito po ay napaka-risky po sa ating consuming public. At ang unang-una po nating mga pinoprotektahan dito ay &#x27;yun pong mga immunocompromised. Bagamat meron namang apparently healthy, pwede rin pong maapektuhan kapag ang karne ay kontaminado po &#x27;yung mga nabibili nila,&quot; Dr. Oblena said.When asked about the health consequences for consumers, Dr. Oblena warned of gastrointestinal illnesses.&quot;Well, &#x27;yun po, mga adverse effects po, katulad nung maaari pong sumakit ang tiyan, susundan po ng pagtatae, nasusuka o kaya sumakit &#x27;yung ulo. Ang worst scenario po nito ay maaaring ma-hospitalize po sila,&quot; he said. &quot;At sa panahon ngayon, &#x27;yung lagi po natin napapatalastas sa TV, bawal ang magkasakit, mahal po ngayon ang ma-hospitalize.&quot;&quot;Kaya po, bilin po natin sa ating meat-consuming public ay siguruhin po na &#x27;yung ating binibiling karne ay worth po doon sa ating ibinabayad. Dapat nasa tamang handling practices po. Hindi po &#x27;yung frozen ay nakayangyang lang po doon sa ibabaw ng meat stores,&quot; he advised consumers.Vendors and workers at the market offered various explanations when confronted by enforcement officers.An employee associated with one of the refrigerated vans claimed lack of awareness, stating, &quot;Hindi namin alam &#x27;yan.&quot;Another vendor defended the condition of their products despite damaged packaging and turned-off cooling units.&quot;Yung box po kasi talaga, &#x27;yung karton madali lang talaga masira pero tingnan niyo &#x27;yung ano namin, matitigas po &#x27;yan kahit hawakan niyo po &#x27;yan, pige na &#x27;yan,&quot; the vendor claimed, adding, &quot;Umaandar po &#x27;yung akin (refrigerator), pinapatay nga lang.&quot;At a market stall where frozen products were sitting outside a freezer, a seller deflected, saying, &quot;Kukunin na po… hindi ko alam sa may-ari ng ano.&quot;Meanwhile, the confiscated meat was brought to a disposal facility through the coordination of the NMIS and the local government unit (LGU).&quot;Well, ito pong mga na-confiscate natin na wala na po sa tamang temperatura, walang dokumento, considered as hot meat, i-confiscate po natin ito, bibigyan po natin sila ng kaukulang resibo or confiscation receipt at ipagpa-file po natin ito ng blotter report for record purposes,&quot; Dr. Oblena stated.The operation follows previous enforcement actions at the same market.&quot;Actually, part po ito ng routine monitoring po natin dahil historically, nagkaroon na rin po ng monitoring and surveillance dito noon na nauwi din po sa confiscation dahil po sa mishandled at tsaka undocumented meat na inilalako po dito,&quot; Dr. Oblena said.Addressing the issue of improper display practices, Dr. Oblena reiterated that leaving meat unchilled is prohibited.He added that local officials will hold a public consultation in the following week to discuss the implementation of market regulations in Dasmariñas City.

Authorities confiscated over 4,400 kilograms of mishandled and undocumented frozen meat during an early morning joint operation at a public market in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Wednesday, July 22.

Authorities confiscated over 4,400 kilograms of mishandled and undocumented frozen meat during an early morning joint operation at a public market in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Wednesday, July 22.