Authorities have confiscated allegedly imported expired frozen meat with an estimated market value of P1,005,100 in Tondo, Manila, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Friday, Dec. 9, as the national government calls for vigilance against the sale of hot meat during the Christmas season.
The PCG said that 1,450 kilos of beef shank boneless (Brazil beef) and 3,110 kilos of frozen pork snout long cut (Germany pork) were found by the raiding teams in a cold storage facility on San Pedro Street last Wednesday. The meat were stored in a total of 369 containers.
The discovery raised alarm among traders and consumers as there was a ban on the importation of pork from Germany due to the threat of African Swine Flu (ASF).
The operation was carried out by combined units from the PCG Task Force Bantay sa Bumabangon na Magsasaka (PCG-TF BBM), Department of Agriculture – Wide Field Inspectorate (DA-WFI), National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), and Regional Special Operations Group of the National Capital Region Police Office (RSOG-NCRPO) after the government received information about the sale of expired frozen meat online.
According to PCG, the said operation was conducted to ensure compliance with the provisions of Republic Act 9296 or the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines.
The law was enacted in 2003 to strengthen the country's meat inspection system and ensure that meat and meat products for human consumption are safe and of best quality when sold on the market.
The government cautioned the public from buying and consuming expired meat as this may cause food poisoning and other diseases.
The confiscated expired meat were transported to Sta. Maria, Bulacan for proper disposition.