Sunday, October 07, 2007 Cebu City Hall appeals for stores to suspend sales of specific Chinese candy brand
PENDING laboratory and investigation results on the Ube Milk Candy that allegedly downed 37 Madridejos town schoolchildren last Thursday, stores are asked to temporarily stop selling the brand.
This, as the People’s Republic of China expressed concern over the incident and directed its Cebu consulate to immediately look into it and submit a report.
Cebu City Protocol Officer Nagiel Bañacia said that Consul General He Shijing called him up early morning yesterday, and together they met with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 7 Director Angel Espiritu to discuss what happened.
Consul He, Bañacia said, wanted to know the “whole picture” after the Central Government in Beijing called his attention after coming across a report in the Internet.
Bañacia said that among others, He wanted to know the name of the product’s manufacturer, when and where it was produced, the expiry date, and other relevant information, after it was reported that the candy came from Guangdong.
“The People’s Republic of China is very much concerned especially after it was reported that children got hospitalized.
They are very sensitive to these kinds of reports,” the City Hall official said in Cebuano.
International pressure is on China recently for it to improve product standards after deaths, ailments or injuries attributed to its products were reported in various countries, from food and toothpaste, to toys and candies.
Testing
A radio dyLA report said the Chinese consul general would have the factory closed down if indeed its product caused the children’s sickness.
Samples of the Ube Milk Candy and other sweets distributed to the children were already sent to the Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) of the Department of Health for laboratory analysis.
Bañacia admitted that it is difficult for the City Government to pull out the Chinese products from stores as the owners surely would deny having them in their inventories once City personnel ask about them.
That is why he appealed for their cooperation to withhold selling the candies while the authorities are still trying to establish whether or not that the particular candy brand caused the children to fall ill.
“We appeal to the vendors to hold the sale of his particular candy pending the result. It is difficult to visit each of the candy stores and confiscate the candies, especially when we are not sure yet if the same kind caused the incident,” he said.
Right after the meeting, Bañacia visited Candy House along F. Gonzales St. at the Carbon Public Market around 11 a.m. to inquire if it still has stocks of the Ube Milk Candy.
He said that Consul He wanted some samples, but could not get any because the Bfad office was closed for the weekend.
He, Bañacia said, managed to speak with Madridejos Councilor Emie Mates Gabito, who told the consul the whole story.
Bañacia said he assured Consul He that the City will immediately inform the consulate once it gets new information and other developments on what happened. (RHM)
