CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Councilor Choy Aznar wants all public markets in the city inspected to determine whether or not the homemade sausages locally known as "chorizo" being sold there are contaminated with E-coli bacteria.
Aznar said he is alarmed with reports that public markets in Cebu City and Mandaue City are selling chorizo that are contaminated with E-coli. He said he will request the Talisay City veterinary office to inspect the markets in the city as soon as possible and to determine the source of the sausages.
There are no reports of contamination in Talisay City, but Aznar said it is better to be safe than sorry. In the past, sausages sold at the Tabunok Public Market were reportedly made at the wet market itself.
Late last year, Aznar sponsored a resolution that launched the campaign against the entry of double dead meat into the city. At that time, double dead meat was said to be rampant in areas near the city. Inspection last December yielded negative results.
The regular monitoring of meat products especially those coming from other sources has also resulted to the seizure of 117 kilos of imported meat from the Tabunok Public Market. The operation was in line with Executive Order Number 22 issued by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, which mandates that all imported meat cuts be kept inside freezers all the time.
It is required that imported meat cuts shall be put inside a freezer with a temperature of 10 degrees centigrade to avoid getting contaminated with bacteria. (FREEMAN)