"Dump and destroy": Zubiri on poison milk from mainland China

"Dump and destroy," Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said as he sought the banning of all infant milk, candies and other milk preparations from mainland China stemming from the hundreds of deaths and more than 50,000 fallen ill from the consumption of San Lu, Sun Care and Yashili infant formula.

Zubiri "urged government agencies to act with haste, even as the BFAD has yet to release its findings." He noted many other countries have banned San Lu products, among them Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Japan. This is only one of many instances that food products from China have been determined by the Philippines Bureau of Food and Drugs to be contaminated.

"I enjoin owners of supermarkets, importers, traders, sari-sari stores and public markets to voluntarily pull out from their warehouses and shelves all milk products from China. Health rules above profit or savings."

Zubiri appealed to supermarket and wholesale associations "to notify their members to refuse all milk products from mainland China. They are in the best position to protect their consumers especially those who are looking out for bargains. Their action is crucial at this time that we have not closed our gates yet to mainland China milk products."

"The poor consumers will be hit most as the adulterated milk products are sold very cheap. Takal-takal kung ibenta ang mga gatas sa palengke. They are forced to consider only the price over quality and safety."

"The Department of Trade and Industry should not fear or favour whoever the retailers, wholesalers and importers are. Agents of the DTI should not spare anyone from ports to the sari-sari stores nationwide."

Zubiri also "reminded Filipino food producers and processors should observe right formulation and processes in their own manufacturing to preserve the integrity of Filipino products as we are known to be very careful and circumspect with the whole production chain." Owners of San Lu and their gang have been found to have intentionally mixed melamine into their milk products. A New Zealand company Fonterra who has partnership arrangements with San Lu also tried to recall the products.

He also recommended to the DTI to "provide relief to traders in case of possible losses from the withdrawal and destruction of the milk products."

"The Department of Health should lay down precautionary measures and not to spare anything in preserving and protecting our health, especially of the children," Zubiri added.

"Facilities and medical personnel for emergency medical treatment for those who have already consumed the adulterated products should be geared up as soon as possible," Zubiri concluded.

Reports state that China has been especially poor at meeting international standards. Last year, the United States rejected about 200 shipments from China, mostly because of concerns about pesticides and antibiotics and about misleading labeling. In February 2007, border inspectors for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blocked peas tainted by pesticides, dried white plums containing banned additives, pepper contaminated with salmonella and frozen crawfish that were filthy.