The Makati city government on Tuesday warned residents of buying “bocha” or double-dead meat being sold by unscrupulous individuals during the holiday season.
Makati’s Veterinary Services Office issued the warning to consumers to be extra cautious when buying meat products to keep their families safe from food poisoning during the holidays.
MVSO chief and city veterinarian Ma. Katherina Mangahas said vendors may be selling meat from carcasses at low prices to entice consumers, such as a meat stall at the Kalayaan wet market that was found selling ‘buto-buto’ or meat on bone at only P30 per kilo.
“We urge the buying public to be extra careful some vendors are taking advantage of this time of the year to fool consumers by mixing double-dead meat with fresh ones. Unusually low prices should warn consumers to think twice before they buy any product,” Mangahas said.
The MVSO chief also warned the public against buying frozen meat products on display outside the freezer.
“Selling of frozen meat is legal. However, it should be kept inside the freezer because decomposition and contamination happens when the frozen meat starts to thaw,” Mangahas said.
The National Meat Inspection Service prohibits the sale of frozen meat in the market when the stall is not equipped with freezers, chillers or refrigerators, she added.
On December 8, inspectors from the Meat, Livestock and Fish Inspection Division of the MVSO confiscated more than 60 kilograms of frozen meat being sold at the “talipapas” of Rizal-Pembo, Kalayaan and Sacramento.
A week prior to the inspections, all markets of Makati City were notified of the provisions of City Ordinance No.
During the inspection, a fresh chicken stall in Rizal-Pembo was reprimanded for selling chicken from a locally registered dressing plant in Taguig City. “It is a violation of the city ordinance because locally registered meat establishments are not allowed to transport their products outside their city,” Mangahas said.
Confiscated from the same stall were 3.2 kilograms of displayed frozen meat and 4.4 kilograms of adulterated chicken intestines.
At Kalayaan, 5.7 kilograms of displayed frozen meat and 9.3 kilograms of “buto-buto” being sold at P30 per kilo were confiscated from a meat stall. In the Sacramento market, 25.5 kilograms of displayed frozen meat and 15 kilograms of imported frozen meat were also confiscated.
The city veterinarian reminded meat distributors to observe the regulations under Article VII-Meat Inspection of the ordinance.
Meat vendors acquiring meat and meat products from slaughterhouses outside the city’s jurisdiction and to be sold within Makati are required to secure a Meat Inspection Certificate issued by NMIS-accredited slaughterhouses outside the city’s jurisdiction.
Meat vendors, meat stalls and other meat establishments found to be selling imported meat products are also required to secure a Certificate of Meat Inspection of imported meat and meat products for domestic transport issued from an accredited NMIS cold storage facility.
Violators face as much as P5,000 in fines, confiscation of their produces and a one-month suspension of their establishments.