DTI starts inspections vs DEHP-tainted products, warns sellers

Hardheaded importers and retailers who continue to sell food products containing the plasticizer di(ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) will face heavy sanctions, including hefty fines. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued the warning Thursday as it started deploying inspection teams to join the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in checking for such products. "Noong wala pang matukoy na specific brands nag-voluntary pullout lang ang ating retailers. Pero ngayon na meron na talagang natukoy na brands, mandatory na ang pullout. At alam nating may advisory ang FDA na i-pullout ang specific brands kung meron mang nakapasok sa ating bansa," DTI Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said in an interview on dzBB radio. Maglaya said hardheaded retailers risk having their tainted merchandise confiscated and possibly destroyed, plus a fine of up to P50,000. She said the FDA had asked the DTI to monitor stores for such products, including at least 66 brands specified by the FDA. "Mag-iikot ang monitoring teams at siguraduhin nilang wala sa mga estante ang brands na natukoy na," she said. Maglaya also said the government will take steps to make sure the seized items are not "recycled" or repackaged. Local government units will also be tapped to help in monitoring the stores for the tainted products. "We may have local government representatives with us in the inspections, so they can suspend or cancel the permits of hardheaded importers and retailers," she said. On Wednesday, the DFA released an initial list of products from Taiwan believed contaminated with DEHP and ordered the pullout of such items from the shelves. In Advisory 2011-008, the FDA said products “whether registered or not with the FDA" but identified in the list will be recalled and disposed of accordingly. “Products that are not identified in the list but are unregistered with the FDA shall also be recalled and disposed," it said. The FDA said products registered but not identified in the list shall be withdrawn from the market, and laboratory analysis will be required to confirm the absence of DEHP. Only then shall these products be allowed for redistribution, it added. In the meantime, the FDA asked consumers not to use products that have been recalled, and “throw them away in a manner that prevents others from consuming them." “Persons who think they may have become ill from consuming the affected products are advised to consult their health care providers," it added. The FDA also urged distributors, importers and retailers to “stop importing and selling the recalled products," and asked institutions and food service establishments to “ensure that recalled products are not served." It asked manufacturers to stop acquiring the implicated products, and to inform consumers about whether their products could contain DEHP from their sources in Taiwan. “The FDA shall continuously monitor and collect products in the local market to ensure the safe supply of products imported from Taiwan," it added. — LBG, GMA News