CEBU CITY (May 28, 2024) – The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) reminds operators of locally registered meat establishments (LRMEs) in the City to upgrade their services.
Office OIC Dr. Jessica Maribojoc made the call after DVMF meat inspectors recommended after a thorough evaluation either the improvement or closure of some LRMEs.
An LRME is a meat processing establishment that the City regulates, Maribojoc noted.
Out of the 19 LRMEs in the city that handle pork and chicken meat, the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) only granted two with a double A accreditation.
An abattoir or slaughterhouse with a double A accreditation are allowed to sell their meat products to other areas in the country.
Maribojoc said majority of LRMEs in the city have yet to secure a single A accreditation.
A facility with a single A accreditation can distribute or sell its meat products within the city or municipality where it is located.
“Kinahanglan nang i-upgrade ang LRMEs to single A nga ihawan. Dako nga possible reason nga i-upgrade kay usa sa mga mandato man gud nato is ang food safety o’ atong protektahan ang konsumedor sa mga meat nga ipagawas o’ ibaligya sa merkado,” Maribojoc said during DVMF Hour, the office’s teleradyo program over RMN Sugboanon Channel.
She said the DVMF, City Health Office, and the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office have been regularly evaluating LRMEs to ensure that they are up to standard.
But Maribojoc lamented that some of them refuse to improve their services to the point that her office has recommended some for closure.
“Abi nato’g mag-improve sila. Unfortunately, nag-deteriorate gyud sila,” she said.
She also emphasized that the city now needs its own accredited abattoir or slaughterhouse so it can process its own meat products.
Maribojoc said she has been pushing for the city to have its own accredited abattoir or slaughterhouse.
In September 2016, the City closed its own abattoir at the North Reclamation Area after it failed to pass NMIS standards.
Regular inspections, permitting
The DVMF also reminded meat sellers and handlers to regularly secure permits from the City for their employees and for the products they are selling if they wish to continue operating without any hitches.
Annalyn Calungsod of DVMF’s Regulatory Section said her office regularly inspects wet markets and supermarkets to determine if the meat they sell have proper documentation and are fit for human consumption.
She said that the DVMF conducts inspections in three processes: ante mortem, post mortem, and post abattoir.
During the ante mortem inspection, meat inspectors visit abattoirs and slaughterhouses to determine if the livestock they are set to process are fit for human consumption.
The inspectors also require the operators to provide health certificates, livestock transport certificates, and other certifications to prove that the delivered livestock are healthy and humanely transported.
Calungsod said during the post mortem inspection, DVMF’s meat inspectors check if the killed animal had illnesses that cannot be detected while still alive.
If the slaughtered animal is fit for human consumption, meat inspectors would provide the abattoir or slaughterhouse operator with a meat inspection certification, she added.
During the post abattoir inspections, DVMF personnel would visit wet markets and supermarkets to check if the meat it sells are not spoiled or have proper documentation.
DVMF also requires personnel who are in charge of handling meat products to secure certifications from the City, Calungsod added. | RMN / jkv
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