700 kilos of contaminated meat seized in Caloocan

Caloocan City veterinary office operatives seized some 700 kilos of contaminated pork last Tuesday afternoon, a day after Mayor Enrico Echiverri ordered an all-out drive against "hot meat" being sold at the city’s markets.

The "double dead" meat was discovered inside a Mitsubishi L-300 delivery van (ULY-658) at the corner of P. Galauran street and 8th Avenue, Caloocan City.

City Veterinary Office (CVO) chief Dr. Teodoro Rosales, said that at noon, his office received information of the presence of a suspicious closed van parked on Galauran street.

A check made by the CVO operatives confirmed the presence of the vehicle, which was forcibly opened after nobody in the area claimed ownership.

The van yielded some 700 kilos of double dead pork.

Double dead, Rosales explained, refers to meat from animals, usually pigs or chickens, that have died of various diseases and are sold at low prices to regular buyers, unscrupulous restaurant and eatery owners or scrimping end-users.

He said that based on information they gathered, the meat came from Bulacan and was intended for delivery to different markets in Metro Manila.

Rosales advised consumers to thoroughly check the meat they are buying, particularly processed products, for they might be made from double dead meat.

Echiverri said consumers should buy meat that are marked "Inspected and Passed" or buy only from legitimate vendors with CVO meat inspection certificates. — Jerry Botial, Pete Laude