DA files case against consignee for misdeclaring onions as frozen fish egg balls

The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), has filed a complaint against Chastity Consumer Goods Trading for violating the Food Safety Act and the Plant Quarantine Law, after the company reportedly misdeclared imported onions as processed food.

In a statement released Sunday, the DA said the complaint was made after two container vans consigned to Chastity arrived at the Port of Subic in August 2024. It also named Chastity owner and president Lina Bang Talan as respondent in the case.

The DA said the shipments were declared as frozen fish egg balls, but further inspection found that they contained some 6,395 stacks of yellow onions which lacked the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance.

According to the DA, tests conducted by the BPI on the onions revealed high levels of microbiological contaminants, including E. coli, making them unsafe for human consumption. The consignee, Chastity Consumer Goods, is also not a registered importer with the BPI.

“The complaint highlighted the risk posed by the misdeclaration, noting that the absence of proper permits and inspections could potentially endanger public health and safety,” the Agriculture Dept. said.

The DA in February approved the importation of 3,000 metric tons of red onions and 1,000 metric tons of white onions, in a bid to keep prices stable and to ensure sufficient buffer stocks while the country awaits the harvest season.

Data from the BPI showed that red onion stocks in storage stood at 8,500 metric tons as of mid-January, while white onion stocks were at 1,628 metric tons.

This compares with the monthly consumption of 17,000 metric tons for red onions, and 4,000 metric tons for white onions.

Price monitoring of the DA shows that prices of white onion in Metro Manila ranged from P127.22 to P129.19 per kilogram as of February 22, while those of red onion ranged from P182.32 to P144.00 per kilogram. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News