ALMOST P4 million worth of unregistered food and health products were confiscated by the Food and Drug Administration during a raid on Thursday (April 19) at the Landers Superstore in Manila.
FDA said the products seized from the membership grocery were either unregistered, un-notified (cosmetics) and/or misbranded or non-compliant with labeling standards.
The products included food items worth P2, 073,216; assorted drugs, P124, 569; assorted cosmetics, P1, 556,698; and medical devices worth P229, 969.
Ret. Police Gen. Allen Bantolo, chief of the FDA Regulatory Enforcement Unit, said the confiscated products were imported and being sold or ffered for sale by Landers Superstore in violation of Republic Act 9711 or the FDA Act of 2009.
He said the FDA agents, who were backed up by policemen from the Pandacan PNP Station, served two Summons with Preventive Measure Order (SPMO) signed by FDA Director General Nela Charade G. Puno against Landers Superstore located at 1890 Paz Guazon St., Otis, Paco, Manila.
Bantolo said his men, acting on intelligence report, first conducted surveillance at Landers in early March and conducted test-buys of the products that were then transmitted to the concerned FDA centers for product verification.
“We at the FDA are giving out warnings to all establishments, be they grocery or department stores, including drug stores and pharmaceutical firms, to refrain from selling or offering for sale imported but non-Philippine FDA registered food and health products,” he said.
“These imported products may be registered abroad from legitimate companies. But as long as they are not registered with the FDA, these products are not allowed by our laws to be sold in the local market,” he added.
All the confiscated products from the Landers Superstore, which were properly inventoried and packed in total of 167 boxes, were brought to the FDA office in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, for proper disposition.
According to Bantolo, the operation was a result of the filing of an administrative case against the General Manager/President of Landers Superstore which, based on the SPMO issued by the FDA, had been directed to stop selling and offering for sale products covered by the legal order.
“The FDA had also directed the General Manager/President of Landers Superstore to file its Answer within ten (10) days from receipt of the SPMO,” he said.