DTI asks BFAD to test soya, sotanghon products from China

MANILA, Philippines - The Trade department on Friday asked the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to extend its laboratory testing to include soya and some noodle products from China. In a radio report, Trade Secretary Peter Favila said he was prompted to request the testing after finding “suspicious" China-made food products during a surprise inspection in several supermarkets in Manila’s Tondo district. Favila first stopped over at the Pritil Market in Tayuman, where he saw packs of bean thread noodles (locally known as sotanghon) that were only labeled in Chinese characters. The Trade secretary said he received information that the said noodle products, manufactured by Great East Empire Corp, were being sold at a cheap price, because their protein content was lower than usual. Heading over to the nearby Pure Gold Supermarket, also in Tayuman, Favila then discovered a number of China-made food products like soya being sold. In a separate report on QTV's Balitanghali, Favila said the DTI would be meeting with the local importers of China-made food products to ensure that quality standards are still being met. The Trade secretary also clarified there still have found no basis to order a pullout of these products, but said it was best to avoid purchasing such products. "Hanggat maaari iwasan niyo muna (bumili) hanggang magkaroon tayo ng advisory sa BFAD na these China-made products are safe (Let us refrain from buying these China-made products until we get an assurance from BFAD that they are safe to consume)," Favila told GMA News reporter Mariz Umali. For her part, Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya was quoted in the radio report as saying the “sotanghon" importers stand facing charges for violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines. The said act prescribes all foreign-language brands to put either English or Filipino translations in their packaging. The government recently set out on a more stringent inspection of food products imported from China, following reports of chemical contamination in infant formula and milk products. The Department of Trade and Industry’s surprise inspection came around the same time Manila policemen swept through a number of retail stores in Manila’s Binondo District, where P105,000 worth of skimmed milk were seized and sent to the BFAD for testing. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV