Illegally imported PH food products subject to USDA public health alert

Updated @ 7:33 p.m., July 12, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — A public health alert for illegally imported Filipino ready-to-eat food products was issued by the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Thursday (Manila time).

FSIS, in an announcement posted on its website dated July 10, 2024, said there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consuming these products. However, the warning was only issued as the products do not bear any producing establishment information.

“The Philippines is a country not eligible to export meat and poultry products to the United States. FSIS is continuing to investigate how these products entered the country,” the department said in its alert.

The products subject to the public health alert include:

• 150-gram (g). can of Argentina Brand Corned Beef
• 175-g. can of Argentina Brand Corned Beef
• 260-g. can of Argentina Brand Corned Beef
• 150-g. can of Purefoods Corned Beef
• 210-g. can of Purefoods Corned Beef
• 150-g. can of Chunkee Corned Beef
• 190-g. can of Chunkee Corned Beef
• 7.43-ounce Jar of Lady’s Choice Chicken Spread

The FSIS found these illegally imported products during routine surveillance activities at a retailer where these items were being sold.

These were discovered to be shipped to restaurants and retail locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia.

“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ and restaurants’ pantries and on retailers’ shelves. Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them,” the FSIS said.

It also said that “consumers and restaurants who have purchased these products are urged not to consume or serve them.”

They were also advised to “double bag the product when discarding it to reduce the possibility of animals accessing the product because USDA cannot confirm whether the products were properly heated to control pathogens of concern to domestic livestock and poultry.”

In the Philippines, these products have been approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs Administration.

READ: Ground beef sold at Walmart recalled over possible E.coli contamination

Last May, the FSIS also recalled over 16,000 pounds of raw ground beef possibly contaminated by the E-coli bacteria being sold at Walmart.

The bacteria is said to cause dehydration, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and possibly kidney failure, according to the FSIS.

Personal consumption items allowed

Sought for comment, the head of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) said that the Philippines did not have market access for meat in the United States.

“These are likely parallel or gray market imports,” DTI-EMB director Bianca Sykimte said in a message sent to the Inquirer.

Sykimte also mentioned that there were separate rules on the importation of meat in US for personal consumption, referring, for example, to those brought in by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

According to FSIS rules, the entry of small quantities of meat, poultry, and egg products for personal consumption is permitted subject to its regulatory requirements.

Among others, this includes personal consumption consignments not exceeding 50 pounds for meat, poultry, or egg products, and having these limited to personal use cannot be sold or distributed.

Century Pacific reacts

For its part, Century Pacific Food Inc., which owns the mentioned Argentina products, confirmed the importation restrictions on its products in some countries.

“Certain markets, such as the USA, restricts the importation of meat and poultry products from several countries, including the Philippines,” the multinational food company said in a statement.

“As such, we source well-loved Argentina canned meat products from countries qualified by the USDA, such as Brazil and Australia and within the United States,” the company added.

—FELICE NAFARRETE (INTERN)