THE United Broiler Raisers Association (Ubra) may ask the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food to look into their concerns over the temporary reduction of the tariff on imported mechanically deboned meat (MDM) of chicken.
Ubra President Elias Jose Inciong told the BusinessMirror that they may seek the help of senators to address their concerns over chicken MDM, including the health risks posed by the product and the possibility that it could be used for technical smuggling.
Inciong noted that unscrupulous traders and importers, who are into technical smuggling, misdeclare imported chicken leg quarters as MDM to avoid paying higher duties.
He said Ubra will also urge senators to probe the chicken MDM utilization of local meat processors. Inciong said the high inclusion rate of MDM could lead to high calcium levels in processed meat products.
“We will take action to point out the health [implications of MDM use] before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Inciong said Ubra may also write to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and request for a dialogue over the health concerns of his group over the use of MDM.
His group will try to persuade the FDA to conduct a study on the meat processors’ use of MDM or consider crafting guidelines for its utilization. MDM is a key component for the manufacture of processed meat products, such as hot dogs and canned luncheon meat.
Inciong issued the statement after the BusinessMirror reported that chicken MDM accounted for 22.5 percent to 27.4 percent and 26.3 percent to 35.3 percent of the costs to produce hot dogs and canned luncheon meat, respectively.
These figures, he said, could mean that meat processors exceed the 20-percent standard set in other countries. Government officials and industry sources told the BusinessMirror, however, that the Philippines has no rules governing the use of MDM in processed meat products. What the Philippines crafted, they said, are rules on the protein, fat and calcium content of imported MDM in its raw form.
Pleas ignored
Former Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano told the BusinessMirror that the Department of Agriculture has repeatedly requested the Department of Health and its attached agency, the FDA, to assess the health risks of high MDM usage. Their requests, he said, fell on deaf ears.
Under the Philippine Food Safety Act, the FDA was mandated to oversee regulations governing processed meat products.
Proceedings of a Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food meeting held in 2014 indicated that a government technical working group (TWG) recommended limiting the MDM content of processed meat products to only 20 percent.
A member of the TWG present during the meeting said that if the inclusion rate of the MDM in processed meat products exceeds 20 percent, this could cause bone metabolism problems for consumers, particularly for children, since the raw material has high calcium content.
Countries such as the United States and the European Union regulate the use of MDM in processed meat products due to calcium concerns. The US limits the content of pork MDM in hot dogs to 20 percent, but there are no restrictions for chicken or turkey MDM content.
However, the US restricts the use of MDM in certain meat products and in food products for babies and toddlers.
The EU has stringent labeling requirements as it requires manufacturers to disclose the MDM content in processed food so as not to mislead consumers.
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