BFAD spends P400,000 on melamine testing

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) has already spent some P400,000 in testing China-made milk and its byproducts for traces of melamine.

According to BFAD director Prof. Leticia Gutierrez, she asked the bureau’s budget officer to compute how much they have actually spent since they started testing Chinese dairy products three weeks ago.

“So far, the report that I have gotten is almost, a little less than P400,000 and that is not in our budget,” she said.

Aside from the materials, BFAD has to validate the methods and calibrate the equipment to be used in testing food products for melamine content.

For this year, BFAD was given a budget of P193 million. 

The bureau is also hoping to release today the third batch of results of the laboratory tests conducted on China dairy products.

Last week, BFAD had announced that Jolly Cow Pure Fresh Milk was among the milk products that tested negative for melamine. But last Tuesday, Jolly Cow Slender Low Fat High Calcium (1 liter) was found contaminated with the chemical.

But Michael Villanueva, Jolly Cow spokesman and marketing manager, claimed that since Sept. 27, or five days after the DOH had imposed a ban on the importation, distribution and sale of China-made milk, 100 percent of their milk has been “sourced from our long-standing milk suppliers from New Zealand.”

Villanueva added the company would dispose of, “in accordance with government directive, the remaining Jolly Cow Slender from China.”

BOC execs to be probed

The Office of the Ombudsman is set to look into the alleged involvement of some top officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the smuggling of hazardous products from China.

Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez directed their field investigation office (FIO) yesterday to start gathering information involving the entry into local market of milk products from China reportedly found to be contaminated with melamine.

“This (smuggling) would have not happened without collusion of Customs officials with the smugglers or at least negligence on their part,” Gutierrez said.

Meantime, President Arroyo yesterday took time out to inspect some supermarkets in Metro Manila for the presence of melamine-tainted milk from China after earlier ordering the shutdown of establishments found to be knowingly importing and selling contaminated food products. – With Edu Punay, Aurea Calica, Evelyn Macairan, Paolo Romero