The Department of Agriculture (DA) will implement stricter monitoring of supermarkets and wet markets to ensure that frozen meat is properly labeled and not sold as “fresh,” further upholding food safety.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he has ordered nationwide inspections to monitor the compliance of markets with meat handling and labeling rules.

Tiu Laurel said it is important that frozen meat is properly labeled and stored to safeguard not only consumers but also local producers.

“Retailers cannot pass off frozen products as fresh,” he added. “Food safety and fair trade are non-negotiable.”

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) have been directed to conduct the inspections.

NMIS, the regulatory agency in charge of meat inspection and hygiene, said locally slaughtered meat comes with a meat inspection certificate (MIC) to confirm that it has undergone inspection.

Imported meat, meanwhile, must have a certificate of meat inspection (COMI) as proof that it has been subjected to antemortem and postmortem inspection by authorized meat inspectors in the country of origin, and that the meat came from countries that passed the evaluation of NMIS and BAI.

“Ensuring that the meat has the appropriate inspection certificate is important to guarantee that it is safe for human consumption, and that it does not pose any threat to their health and safety, as well as to the health of local animals that supply meat in our country,” NMIS said in a statement.

The agency also said that any meat, whether local or imported, without the proper inspection certificate is considered “hot meat” and shall face the corresponding violations based on the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines.

The law states that anyone who sells, transports, offers, or accepts for sale or transport meat without a legitimate MIC or COMI could face a fine of up to ₱500, along with a three-year prohibition from operating the business.

NMIS emphasized that it is the responsibility of business owners to ensure that the meat being sold is not “hot meat.”

Meanwhile, the DA said the order to conduct tighter inspections coincides with ongoing efforts to stabilize pork prices.

The department and industry groups earlier agreed to establish a minimum farmgate price of ₱210 per kilo for live hogs, higher than the current range of ₱150 to ₱180 per kilo.

Aside from this, the DA is also studying a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork, the potential restoration of pork import tariffs from 25 percent to 40 percent, and the reclassification of pork jowls to apply higher tariffs, among others.

“These measures aim to bring transparency to the meat market, protect consumers, and help restore profitability to local hog raisers amid persistent price volatility,” said Tiu Laurel.