Tuesday, October 09, 2007 DOH team checks stores selling candy
THE Department of Health (DOH) 7 health and regulation division sent representatives to various candy stores in Cebu City to check on other China-made sweets.
This, after 37 schoolchildren at the San Agustin Elementary School in Madridejos, Cebu became nauseous after allegedly eating Ube Milk Candy.
The candy was manufactured in Guangdong, China.
A representative from the Chinese Embassy also went to Madridejos town in northern Cebu to investigate the matter.
Today, six investigators from China will arrive in Cebu and are expected to proceed to Madridejos to confirm if the candies are indeed from China, according to a radio dyLA report.
DOH 7 is doing its own investigation.
The agency sent a team to the town to look into the situation, while in Cebu City the health and regulation division bought at least 13 packs of different hard candy products made in China.
Food and drug regulation officer III Monina Coyoca told Sun.Star Cebu that they went to three candy stores yesterday.
One of the stores had packs of Ube Milk Candy but these were manufactured locally. The two others had Chinese candies. It was there that DOH 7 bought the 13 packs.
Coyoca said the packs will be sent to the Bureau of Food and Drug (Bfad) central office in Manila to check if the candies contain formaldehyde.
She did not confirm, though, if formaldehyde caused the hospitalization of the children.
The Cebu Provincial Board (PB), meanwhile, wants Bfad and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to closely coordinate efforts in screening and monitoring of food products imported from China to ensure safety for consumption.
PB Member Joven Mondigo Jr. sponsored the resolution that was unanimously passed during yesterday’s session. Mondigo represents the fourth district, which Madridejos belongs to.
In the US, a number of Chinese products have been recalled by distributors and sellers because of poor quality or findings that these contain harmful ingredients that went into their processing.
Last July, DOH 7 also conducted an analysis on food items imported from China after a Bfad warning that at least four Chinese food products contain formaldehyde.
Samples of the candies that made grade four pupils sick were sent to Bfad central Office yesterday afternoon for analysis. Results are expected in a week.
Health and regulation division chief Dr. Angelita Salarda said they had to buy the products because they do not have the authority to confiscate items. Also, the purchased candies are only for testing.
Meanwhile, the hospitalized children are already out of danger, a radio report said.
The 37 pupils fell ill and were taken to the Bantayan District Hospital after reportedly eating Ube Milk Candy from China last Oct. 4.
Four of them were given intravenous fluids while 19 were under observation.
Their classmate Richelle Cueva, who was celebrating her birthday that day, gave them the candies.
The pack of Ube Milk Candy was reportedly bought from one of the stores in Bantayan town by Racquel Cueva, who is worried over reports that a case will be filed against her.
Richelle was also one of those hospitalized. (JGA/MBG)
