3 tons of hot meat seized at Balintawak market

MANILA, Philippines - Three tons of double dead meat were confiscated at Balintawak market in Quezon City before dawn Tuesday, QTV's Balitanghali reported. No vendors, however, were arrested. The television report said the hot meat had just been unloaded from a delivery truck when members of the National Meat Inspection Service pounced on it. The report said the meat could have come from the provinces in northern Luzon. It said double dead meat is usually sold at P120 per kilo or P60 cheaper than fresh pork meat. However, authorities warned against buying and eating double dead meat as these are considered harmful to health since the animals were already dead due to illness or other cause before being butchered and sold. "Huwag na po tayo magbakasakali sa ganitong klase ng karne. Nakamura nga tayo pero posibleng makaapekto sa kalusugan natin ito (Let us not take risk. We may get it cheap but it will affect our health)," Dr Fernando Lontoc of NMIS said. The report said consumers should check if the color of the meat they are buying is pink and not violet and it should have the NMIS mark to ensure that the same had been inspected. The confiscated meat was brought to NMIS office in Quezon City for disposal. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV