Government may require restaurants to reveal meat products’ sources

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering proposals to require restaurants and eateries to disclose their sources of meat products following the dicovery of expired meat products in Bulacan.

DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Kristine Evangelista cautioned the public to be wary of the food they eat in restaurants and eateries.

“If you are a restaurant owner, you need to have a certificate on the source of the meat products. This is something we need to look into. Restaurants should display this certificate so everybody can have access to this,” Evangelista said.

Personnel of the DA’s office of the assistant secretary for inspectorate and enforcement recently seized 175,000 kilos of smuggled frozen agricultural products with an estimated market value of P35 million in a warehouse in Meycauayan.

Evangelista said the owner of the warehouse has been identified, but she withheld the name until proper charges are filed.

She said the DA is coordinating with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) to strengthen its campaign against unaccredited cold storage facilities.

Under the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, importers, owners of cold storage facilities and sellers found in possession of expired meat products can face a prison term of up to 12 years.

“We should not take this lightly as our consumers will be affected. Anybody who buys meat should make sure that there is a certificate of inspection from the NMIS. Even online sellers should be monitored. Those who are involved in the value chain should be made accountable,” Evangelista said.

Among the items confiscated during the raid were expired pork leg, lamb meat and chicken skin.

Banned frozen meat products from Germany and India were also discovered during the raid.