DOH warns vs independent melamine tests
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/02/2008 10:34 PM
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The Department of Health (DOH) immediately issued a rejoinder and warned the public against believing laboratory test results released by independent testing centers on food products allegedly tainted with the toxic chemical melamine.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that despite these laboratories' good intentions, they do not have the authority to declare if a product is safe or not from melamine contamination based on their findings.
The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) is the only agency authorized to release the results of tests in relation to the melamine contamination scandal that has been hounding China-made milk and milk-based products, Duque said.
He said hastily-announced results from independent findings may create panic among consumers.
The health chief added that in case an independent laboratory releases its findings, the BFAD will conduct further tests on the product in question to be certain.
Independent lab: Eight products contaminated
Duque's warning came after Qualibet Testing, an independent laboratory in Quezon City, revealed that eight out of 14 products they tested, including two processed meat products, tested positive for melamine.
The testing center has no authority to release the brand names of the products tainted with melamine. It, however, said that these include two brands of milk candies, a brand of chocolate, a brand of milk powder for pregnant women and a brand of repacked coffee creamer used in restaurants.
Also included in the list are two brands of processed meats -- one for a luncheon meat and another for corned beef.
All of the products tested came from China.
No BFAD sanction
In an interview in ANC's "Prime News" Thursday, Qualibet Testing's president and chief executive Pinky Tobiano clarified that the BFAD did not commission their laboratory to conduct the tests.
"They (BFAD) referred our services to the consumers... the BFAD gave a list of testing centers to the consumers that they could approach to test," Tobiano said.
Tobiano said they also have direct communication with the government agency about their melamine tests. She assured the public that they will submit copies of the results to the BFAD on Friday.
She also said one of the meat products in question was actually submitted by the local distributor for testing.
"Actually, [for] one of the meat products, the sample submitted by the distributor had their products tested. The reason that there were products containing melamine because swine &and chicken feed on feeds which may contain whey powder, which has high levels of melamine to increase the protein, so that the production of swine & chicken will be faster," she explained. With reports from Joey Villarama and Julius Babao, ABS-CBN News and ANC
