BFAD SHOULD CHECK ON SAFETY OF GYOZA DUMPLINGS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today asked the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to check if Gyoza Dumplings are being sold in the local market to ascertain if are safe to eat.

Pimentel made the request in view of reports of widespread food poisoning in Japan caused by eating Gyoza Dumplings, prompting supermarket and shopping mall owners to pull them out from their grocery shelves.

Japanese Health and Food Authorities discovered that a pesticide called methamidophos was found in the Gyoza Dumplings imported from the Tianyang Food in China.

"I ask our food and drugs authorities to check the safety of Gyoza Dumplings that are reportedly imported from China. People in Japan are in uproar for more than a week now over the poisoning incidents," Pimentel said.

He stressed that the dumplings should be thoroughly examined before these are distributed and sold in the market to ensure that they will not endanger human health.