Friday, October 10, 2008 Health agencies need police to crack down on bad sellers
THE discovery of expired food items being sold at the Carbon Public Market worries Department of Health (DOH) 7 and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) 7 officials.
But while the agencies are concerned about the welfare of consumers, an official said they can only start an investigation once a search warrant is presented to their office.
“If we receive a search warrant, then we can inspect the warehouse that sells these expired food products,” Bfad 7 section head Monina Coyoca said.
She suggested that law enforcement agencies like the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 and the National Bureau of Investigation place the warehouse under surveillance and secure a search warrant.
“This issue was already presented to us last week. Three police officers came to our office asking us what to do. We told them that the Bfad 7 could only monitor the warehouse if we have a search warrant. It would be better for them to coordinate with the NBI or the CIDG for surveillance and a search warrant,” said Coyoca.
The three men identified a warehouse in Mandaue City as the source of the expired food items being sold at the Carbon Public Market.
If the police could present a search warrant to the Bfad 7, the agency would send food regulation officers to inspect the warehouse, said Coyoca. But the men did not return.
Last Tuesday, the Cebu City Market Authority confiscated assorted expired goods after receiving information that these were being sold in Carbon at past midnight.
Among the rotting items sold were seasonings, salad dressings, hotdogs and other meat products, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, repacked food items like gelatin, marshmallows and chocolate.
Eating these expired food products could have adverse affects on one’s health, Acting DOH 7 Director Lakshmi Legaspi said.
“It could cause acute gastroenteritis,” said Legaspi, adding that one may also experience vomiting, nausea, dizziness and loose bowel movement.
Market officials discovered that the labels and the expiration dates on the evaporated milk cans were also removed, which is an illegal act. (EPB)
