Arroyo orders temporary ban on China-made milk products

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo on Tuesday directed the concerned government agencies to temporarily stop the importation, distribution and selling of milk products from China due to reports of contamination. Deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said President Arroyo tasked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to coordinate with the Bureau of Foods and Drugs (BFAD) in monitoring outlets nationwide that sell repacked and unlabelled milk products. At the same time, Trade Secretary Peter Favila called on retailers to remove China milk products from their shelves and submit them to BFAD for laboratory testing. “The President believes that the public’s health and safety is of utmost importance and exhausted all means to oversee and guide all concerned government agencies despite being away on official business," Fajardo said. President Arroyo left the country for United States Monday to participate in the UN High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals. She is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of 14 member states of the United Nations on the sidelines of the 63rd UN General Assembly. President Arroyo’s order came in the wake of reports that milk contaminated with the chemical melamine has already downed 53,000 children in China and Hong Kong. Melamine, a compound that is used for plastic and herbicide manufacture, by itself is nontoxic in low doses. However, when combined with cyanuric acid, it can cause fatal kidney stones. Melamine is sometimes added to food products in order to increase the apparent protein content. Senator Pia Juliana Cayetano, chairperson of the committee on health and demography, said these reports warranted a nationwide ban of milk products sourced from China. "This issue has unwittingly exposed the unsafe practice of some retailers who repack powdered milk, which is then resold in small plastic bags to unsuspecting mothers who feed the milk to their children," Cayetano said in a statement. The Bureau of Customs (BoC), for its part, said it would hold not only milk products but all food products coming into the country from China. In a radio interview, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said his agency has agreed with BFAD not to immediately clear the entry of food from China without undergoing testing. Morales said that only after being subjected to BFAD laboratory testing and testing safe for consumption will the imported food be released. "We cannot allow contaminated milk to reach our markets. Otherwise, the consequences to our customers, particularly the children, will be very grave," Morales said. In Manila, the city health personnel will start checking on stores that might be selling unbranded powered milk following orders issued on Monday by Mayor Alfredo Lim. The inspection will pay close attention to stores in the Binondo district as well as in Quinta market. - GMANews.TV