AN advocacy group is urging the government to fast-track the construction of the country’s first border inspection facility that would help in ensuring that imported commodities are safe for human consumption.
Tugon Kabuhayan, a group advocating for food security and food safety, said the construction of the facility, which has been called by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as Agriculture Commodity Examination Area (ACEA), is long overdue.
The group said the construction of such a facility is mandated under the Food Safety Act, which was enacted in 2013, but only had an approved implementing rules and regulations (IRR) in 2015.
Nonetheless, the group lauded the initiative of the current DA administration in establishing the much-needed quarantine facility that would be able to conduct tests on imported goods.
“The facility would be of great help in ensuring food safety, especially of imported commodities entering the country,” the group said in a virtual news briefing on Monday.
The group also proposed that the government look into strict implementation of labeling requirements, or provisions stipulated under the Food Safety Act.
The group explained that the Philippines remains lax in imposing labeling requirements on imported food products, which could pose a threat or harm to consumers as they may not fully understand what is contained in the product they are buying.
The group added that in countries like the United States and Canada, imported products are being rejected if they do not follow their labeling requirements. For example, products exported to the United States should be written in American English and Spanish, while those shipped to Canada must have a French translation, it explained.
The group also urged the government to strengthen their random testing on imported agricultural product to avert entry of goods that may pose harm to human health.
“We see a lot of imported products in our market today wherein we cannot even read or understand the labels,” it said.
“Plus, right now we are just relying on health certificates issued by the country of origin. We just assume that the exporting country is doing due diligence,” it added.
The group explained that countries where the Philippines export food products like the United States, Canada, and European Union have stringent rules on pests, heavy metals and labeling. If products do not comply with the standards then they reject them outright, resulting in losses to exporters, the group added.
“That’s why we should have our own testing to determine if goods rejected by these developed countries are being rerouted to us, which could be harmful to our consumers,” it argued.
In October 2020, the DA said the construction of the P521-million ACEA is “on track but certain barriers have yet to be addressed following government requirements and procedures.”
“The first border inspection facility will serve as a one-stop shop for regulatory inspections of imported agricultural product, and a common facility for the DA’s bureaus of plant industry [BPI], of fisheries and aquatic resources, and BAI [Bureau of Animal Industry] to prevent the entry of animal, fish, and plant diseases into the country,” the DA added.