Baguio City - In the midst of the melamine scare gripping the country and the rest of the world, the Department of Trade and Industry in the region has called on consumers not to purchase milk products that are manufactured or sourced in China until further notice from concerned agencies that these products are safe from melamine contamination.
The pronouncement was made by DTI Director Carmelita Usman during the launching of this year’s celebration of Consumer Welfare Month held at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) conference hall last week.
Usman issued the advise although she added that based on initial feedback from teams conducting monitoring in the provinces, there were no Chinese milk found being sold at the groceries. She added that grocery store owners in Baguio and Benguet voluntarily took off from their shelves milk stocks coming from China.
Melamine is a chemical normally used in the production of plastic products, but used in milk items to look good and have a longer shelf life.
The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), in an advisory dated September 22, has directed all licensed importers and/or distributors of registered milk products sourced from China to immediately stop temporarily from further importing distributing, selling and offering for sale Chinese milk products due to the melamine contamination crisis. The ban on the importation and sale would be in effect until the bureau issues a notice assuring the public of the products' safety and fitness for human consumption.
The BFAD advisory, likewise, called on local officials to conduct investigation on the unauthorized importation of infant formula and milk products manufactured in China.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita ordered the Health and Trade departments and the Bureau of Customs to intensify their watch against the entry of melamine-contaminated milk from China into the country.
Consumers are reminded not to buy repacked milk products, as well as products without labels. Consumers cannot determine the contents of the product if it doesn’t have any label, and it could not be traced to its manufacturer. **Mari Cruz/PIA-CAR
