City vet assures safety of meat: Local meat traders call study 'biased'

CEBU, Philippines - Biased!

Local pork producers branded the study on local meat commissioned by a meat trader as biased and questioned the credibility of such.

Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative President Roland Tambago is wondering how come the identity of the person, who conducted the study wasn’t made public.

“They conducted a study but why they did not divulge the name of the food technologist or institution if they are telling the truth? That’s questionable. Of course, they are biased and self-serving,” Tambago said.

Cebu City Veterinarian Alice Utlang also lambasted the study and assured the consumers that meat sold in the city are safe. 

 Tambago said that the Department of Agriculture has the National Meat Inspection Service as the authorized agency that should conduct studies on meat products and not just any private individual or institution.

 He added that when they had read the reports, they just laughed it off.

 “Bisa’g pustaanay pa mi, ihawon pa among baboy. Daghan man gyud ang bacteria but molapas na gani na sa allowable bacterial count, mao na’y dili na sakto,” he said.

 Tambago said that the meat importers who question the Administrative Order 22 should go to the court instead.

 He also clarified that the issue on AO 22 is about the proper regulations in handling of meat products and importers should stick to that issue.

 “Of course, the frozen meat would certainly pass the laboratory exam but ang gi-question sa AO 22 kay ang pagbaligya sa frozen meat nga giladlad o gi-display lang sa mga merkado,” Tambago said.

 “Wala man na sila gi-single out, both local and imported frozen meat man ang i-regulate sa order,” he added.

The association, Tambago said, is very concerned about the safety of the consumers as it is also protecting its members and the estimated 100,000 families in Central Visayas that depend on their trade.

He added that people should be careful in buying meat especially thawed imported meat sold in market stalls.

 “They should be more alarmed of the quality of thawed frozen meat nga gibaligya sa wet markets,” Tambago said.

 However, he also admitted that frozen pork products used for meat processing are safe.

Safe Meat

Utlang also accused Mario Montes, the meat dealer who commissioned private food technologists to test samples of warm meat sold in various markets in Cebu, that the study conducted was malicious because the latter allegedly has his hidden agenda.

Utlang discouraged the public to accept as true the result because the intention of the person who commissioned the testing is questionable while there are things that need to be clarified first to ensure the testing process was done properly.

Last Sunday, Montes invited members of the Media in a press conference where he revealed that bacteria such as E. Coli were found in meat sold at the Mandaue City Public Market and Carbon Public Market.

The Micro-Analysis Report also shows that there were more bacteria found in warm or local meat, which volume has reached above the standard level compared to the bacteria found in frozen or imported meat that is tightly being regulated by the city government pursuant to Department of Agriculture Administrative Order No 22.

Utlang said that the study was biased because Montes allegedly did it to suspend the enforcement of AO 22 which affected his business.

Montes is a meat retailer in Carbon but the Office of the Market Administrator and the DVMF records could not find him in the list of legitimate meat vendors in Carbon.

The Carbon Market Vendors Development Cooperative (Cemvedco), DVMF, Office of the Market Administrator and the City Health Department question how Montes obtained the samples of meat tested which might have had some influence in the result.

Nilo Ares of the CHD Sanitation Inspection Division said that E. Coli or Fecal Coliform bacterial is from human feces. There are also those that come from rotten substances.

Market Administrator Racquel Arce assured that the 178 meat vendors in carbon have permits and comply with safety practices.

Dr. Pilar Romero, chief of the DVMF Health Division, said that once the meat is processed, the additives used, which contains sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, prevents the growth of bacteria.

Let Nmis Do It

Arnel Almira of the Meat Importers and Traders Association suggested that the Department of Science and Technology or the NMIS do the meat testing.

 “Ang NMIS or ang DOST, as of now, ang best maka-conduct sa study. We welcome that. But our stand here is all meat should follow the cold chain to prevent the growth of bacteria and to protect the public,” Almira said.

 Meanwhile, in a press statement yesterday, Jimmy Escaño of the Meat Importers and Traders Association welcomes the plan of the Director Romeo Capa of the NMIS to conduct a random testing of meat in wet markets to ensure public health and safety.

Escaño also urges LGUs through their local veterinary office to conduct random testing of their meat markets and slaughterhouses.

Mandaue Meat, Safe

 Authorities in Mandaue said that meat sold in the city is safe and called the study as black propaganda.

Cesar Mercadal,the OIC Market administrator, said that they have done their part to make the local  supply of meat safe for human consumption. —with Ryan Christopher J. Sorote, Flor Z. Perolina, Mitchelle Palaubsanon, and Jessica Ann R. Pareja/NLQ