The Bureau of Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport has destroyed 260 kilograms of expired glutathione products in line with the campaign to dispose illegal and unsafe shipment that unnecessarily congest Customs facilities.
Customs NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the condemnation of 52 cartons of expired glutathione products last September 3 and 4 in Trece Martires in Cavite is also part of their mandate to protect the borders and ensure the safety of stakeholders from hazard.
She said the expired glutathione products were assessed to be unsafe for consumer use and must be properly disposed of through condemnation to protect the public.
Glutathione products are strong antioxidant which had become the most popular systemic skin lightening molecule. Based on a study, when a glutathione product is taken beyond the expiration date, the consumer may not reap the same benefit from registered and unexpired pills.
“In compliance with the directives of Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the BoC-NAIA will continue to be vigilant and ensure that expired, hazardous and harmful products will not be made available to the consuming public, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic,” Talusan said.
Talusan said the condemned products were part of the 16.03 tons of other illicit, forfeited, and smuggled products destroyed on the same days.
The authorities recently destroyed 29.5 tons of anti-social goods and unsafe smuggled items late last month.
Among the goods disposed include dietary supplements, medicines, vape products and medical kits and devices which were imported but lack the necessary Food and Drug Administration approval and clearances that pose as health risks to the public.
Also disposed were regulated items such as cigarettes, electrical items, bulbs, batteries, used cellphones, CDs and DVDs and other storage devices without clearances from the National Tobacco Administration, Bureau of Product Standards, National Telecommunications Commission and Optical Media Board, respectively.