'Clear rules on transport needed to keep fast food favorites on menu amid ASF outbreak'

MANILA, Philippines — Consumers may soon miss out on fastfood favorites like burgers and breakfast sausages as these might slowly disappear from menu boards amid the African swine fever outbreak in the country.

The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) warned that fast food chains might not be able to offer pork-based products if the government will not issue proper guidelines to local government units on the transport of these products.

"Fast food chains only store about two to four weeks [of supplies]. And most bans cover 90 days or 12 weeks. So those supplies will dwindle. Consumers are not yet feeling it, but they eventually will," PAMPI spokesperson Rex Agarrado said in a weekly forum on Wednesday.

"Burger patties, breakfast sausages, meat-based pizzas are among those that will be hit if guidelines will not be implemented clearly," he added.

Checkpoints

This developed after an incident in Ilocos where trucks of supplies to fast food giants Jollibee and McDonalds were stopped at a quarantine checkpoint.

The trucks were blocked at 11 a.m. and were only allowed entry after 4 p.m. The dlivery for McDonald's managed to pass through but the truck with supplies for Jollibee decided to turn back earlier because the products were perishable.

Agarrado said the drivers showed all the documents needed including license to operate by Bureau of Food and Drugs, certificate of product registration, and other documents from the National Meat Inspection Service.

It was only after phone calls from the Department of Agriculture that the deliveries were allowed to pass through.

A blanket ban is in effect in Cebu and Bohol while Davao Oriental and the Negros provinces have also expressed that they are leaning in the same direction.

Fast food chains have minimal inventories

"We are concerned because fast food chains keep very minimal inventories of products in their shelves and they deliver direct. LGUs should understand that their structure is very different," Agarrado said.

"Their production centers are in Manila including for Jollibee, McDo and even for Shakey’s. They have rules on how long they could keep their products," he added.

However, PAMPI maintained that the industry is resilient and products that are non-pork based are currently being developed.

"The local chains have an advantage because they could easily change it but the international ones cannot just do it because they have to get approvals from their head office," he said.

To avoid a much worse scenario, PAMPI is urging the government to immediately come up with unified guidelines to be signed by departments of Agriculture, Health, Trade and Industry, and Interior and Local Government.

"These delays will continue until government cosign four agencies. With what happened in Ilocos, they did not respect the documents provided. The guidelines should be put together and that will be the best thing that could happen right now," Agarrado said.

"Those who got their products through actually got them by submitting more requirements. If those requirements are published then it becomes a norm, and as soon as things become a norm, then we don’t have problems," he added.

On the other hand, NMIS executive director Rieldrin Morales said the draft is already being readied.

"The president already approved the creation of a national task force which he will head," he said.

Production scaling down

Meanwhile, Agarrado maintained that the lack of clarity in the rules is prompting processors to scale down their production even if the holiday season is nearing.

"Some are scaling down, some have decided to not produce. This is not directed to anybody but because we are businessmen. If we are not sure that our products can pass through, why will we produce?" Agarrado said.

"We are not scaring anybody, but we are also running businesses. If we solve this now, the extent may be diminished so we appeal to the government to make rules clear. Everyday that we don’t have it, it’s one day that we don’t produce," he added.

The ASF continues to hit the Philippines as the DA just reported another case of ASF in an unnamed barangay in Antipolo, bringing to 12 the total number of sites that tested positive for ASF infestation.

It was the second area in Antipolo and the twelfth nationwide to test positive for ASF.