THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday reminded local government units to comply with the guidelines on the transport of pork-based products amid the African Swine Fever (ASF) cases in Luzon.
"The guidelines on processed meat products we issued (through) the (Memorandum) Circular shall remain. May mga conditions and requirement naman na dapat i-comply bago payagan ang pag transport and pagbenta ng processed meat products (We have conditions and requirement that should be complied with before getting clearance to transport and sell processed meat products)," DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said.
Año said products that fail to comply with the government's safety requirements should be banned.
According to the DILG, products containing pork should be heat-treated or fully cooked based on internationally accepted standards that were adopted by the Philippine Association of Meat Processors.
Canned meat should be cooked at 116 degrees Celsius for at least an hour, while hotdogs, hams, and bacon should be processed/smoked/cooked to a core temperature of at least 72 degrees Celsius for over one hour.
Smoked or cooked pork sausages, on the other hand, should be cooked to a core temperature of at least 72 degrees Celsius for at least 40 minutes.
As manufacturers usually use imported pork, they should present certification indicating that it came from a non-ASF infected country supported by any acceptable document such as Veterinary Health Certificate of the exporting country and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Import Permit issued by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
For pork from local producers, a document issued by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) authorizing its movement or use for production of processed meat should be presented to local authorities.
For processed meat products such as tocino, fresh longanisa, and tapa that use pork as ingredient but do not undergo heat treatment or full cooking, an NMIS certification is necessary for locally sourced pork.
For imported meat materials, permits and certifications to ensure that the source countries are free from ASF and are from DA-approved sources are essential.
On Thursday, the DA confirmed that some brands of processed meat products tested positive for ASF.
Año confirmed that he and Agriculture Secretary William Dar met regarding the issue.
Both Año and Dar agreed that the guideline should "remain until further notice."
Año vows to implement stricter checkpoints and quarantine operations "to ensure that all requirements and conditions are met on movement transport and selling of processed meat products. (VoxPop Philippines)