DOH urges public to report formalin-laced fish, other seafood in markets

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday advised the public to report to the government any incident of formalin use in fish and other seafood products in the markets.

Health undersecretary Eric Domingo said the DOH will be coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the testing of the said goods.

"FDA po. Kapag merong nagreklamo, puwede naming i-test. Puwede rin po sa Bureau of Fisheries under the Department of Agriculture kung unprocessed pa po ang pagkain. Pero kung mukhang processed na siya then under FDA na po," he said in a Dobol B sa News TV interview.

"Parang ngayon lang naman po recently nabalita 'yan and then we'll have our agency kung meron nga pong katotohanan, and we will be coordinating na rin po sa DA," Domingo added.

His statement comes as fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA-Pilipinas) claimed that some imported seafood products, including galunggong, have been injected with formalin to be sold in Philippine markets.

"Ngayon nabalita kasi na ang mga frozen galunggong na nangagagaling sa China, nagugulat sila pagdating, parang fresh na fresh pa ang dating eh frozen itong mga ito. So hindi po natin nalalaman kung freshly frozen lang talaga siya right after catching or kung nadagdagan siya ng preservative and we have to test po para malaman," Domingo said.

Domingo noted that formalin is a toxic substance and could not be used as a preservative for any fish or meat for consumption. It is also deadly, with as little as 30 ml enough to kill an adult, and it could cause cancer later if consumed in small amounts.

"Kasi po napakaraming palengke sa buong Pilipinas, pero dapat po sa source pa lang, lalo na kung import siya from another country, we'll have to inspect it from the source before it comes in," he said.

Aside from dried fish, tofu is also allegedly being laced with formalin.

Domingo urged the public to report the source of the contaminated goods.

"Of course, kailangan po kasi naming malaman din kung saan, kung anong pagkain, otherwise po kasi mahihirapan ang mga ahente namin na hanapin kung alin ang i-tetest," he said.

Domingo said one way to remove formalin in food is to soak it in cold water with salt for at least one hour.

He said sanctions await sellers or suppliers offering formalin-laced products. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News