NMIS-7 to conduct own meat tests in Metro Cebu wet markets

CEBU, Philippines - The National Meat Inspection Service in Region 7 will be conducting their own sampling of the meat sold in Metro Cebu’s wet markets next week to verify the earlier report of a meat dealer that a local meat contained more bacteria than imported meat.

The meat dealer, who commissioned a food technologist, revealed that the sample taken from one stall in Mandaue City and another in the Carbon Market in Cebu City were found contaminated with E. Coli and S. Aureus bacteria.

Dr. Alvin Leal, NMIS-7 senior meat control officer said they were supposed to start gathering meat samples the other day in Cebu City but city veterinarian Al ice Utlang, as well as their laboratory head, were not available.

Leal said that they will be taking samples of local meat as they want to reconfirm or debunk the statement of the meat dealer, whose findings were strongly criticized for alleged bias.

Local hog raisers in Central Visayas who supply pork to the local markets assured the public that their animals are free from any disease as they brushed aside the Department of Science and Technology laboratory reports which said they found disease-causing bacteria in the wet markets of Cebu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City.

Central Visayas Pork Producers President Rolando Tambago said the animals they sell will not reach the marketplace without being examined by meat inspectors.

This is done in accredited abattoirs where meat inspectors conduct ante-mortem and post-mortem examination on the animal before it will be slaughtered to ensure that these are disease-free and safe for consumption.

They said whenever an animal is found to be sick even if these are already scheduled for slaughter these are automatically taken care of by veterinarians who are constantly visiting the different farms or backyard farms in the rural areas.

It will take a minimum of 45 days and maximum of 60 days from the day the administration of medicine to sick animals before it will be delivered to the slaughterhouse according to Tambago.

Another member of the CVPP board, Dennis Rodolfo, who also raises hogs for a livelihood said even if both local and imported meat are clean and safe, if the area or the place where the processing is done is dirty there is a big possibility that it will be contaminated.

“Kung mohimo ka og chorizo sa hugaw nga lugar, natural magka-E. Coli gyud na,” Rodolfo said.

The group is inclined to believe that the meat used in the contaminated sample might be from frozen meat because fresh meat does not easily get contaminated since there are still antibodies that can fight off bacteria found in the meat as long as it is not frozen.

They claimed that they are not for the total banning of imported meat because there are other industries that buy meat such as the meat processing sector.

Tambago said in Cebu alone there are 23,000 hogs slaughtered everyday for the local markets.While he said they can handle this volume the entry of the imported meat in the local markets is affecting them.

The group claims to support more than one thousand families in the region, not counting those allied sector consisting of farmers that grow corn and other root crops that are sold to be processed as hog feed.

Rudy Chan Lim, a hog raiser in Bantayan Island said the importation of frozen meat poses danger to local hog farmers because of the Foot and Mouth Disease which was very common among meat exporting countries in the past.

Lim said the Visayas regions and the entire Mindanao are declared FMD-free areas in the country while Luzon is not yet free from the disease.

Meanwhile, Cebu 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon said he was alarmed by the DOST report bacterial contamination of the chorizo samples taken from in the wet markets of Cebu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City.

“Mukaon ra ba gyud intawon ko og chorizo.We will formally request the local government of these cities to look into this and activate their respective City Health Office for constant monitoring of the meat products sold in their wet markets,” Salimbangon said.

Cebu 6th District Rep. Gabriel Luigi Quisumbing said that his office will coordinate with the DOST and other agencies as well as the meat vendors to find a solution to this problem.

“Of course, these meat vendors do not want to sell contaminated meat products.We will help them with the proper training to ensure quality of the products that they are selling,” Quisumbing said.

Cebu City veterinarian Alice Utlang accepted the DOST findings and viewed this as an eye-opener for chorizo makers to reform their ways.

“Naa gyuy uban nga tighimo og chorizo nga dili motuman. Kani ang result, eye-opener na nila kay kung dili, sila ra gihapon ang madaut kay wala na may mamalit sa ilang chorizo,” Utlang said.

Mandaue City officials yesterday assured the buying public that the chorizo sold at the city public market is safe.

Mandaue City veterinarian Daisy Penetrante said even before the results of the DOST test samples taken from wet markets of Cebu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City were proven safe. —/BRP (FREEMAN)