Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has ordered the creation of a joint task group to inspect markets in response to a report by the City Health Department that unlabeled and expired food products were being sold in some city markets.
Based on the City Health Department report, among the most common food products sold without labels and with altered expiration dates are sandwich spread, fruit juice, powdered milk, seasoning mix, instant coffee, catsup, canned goods and uncooked noodles, which were already showing signs of discoloration and pigmentation.
Consumption of such products can lead to food poisoning and gastro-intestinal infections, health officials warned.
The City Health Department, through the City Veterinary Office, has previously confiscated unlabeled and expired food products peddled by ambulant vendors in the Balintawak market.
Health personnel also recovered bottles of acetone, which are being used to erase or alter the original expiration dates on the labels of the products.
All confiscated food products were taken to the city’s disposal facility in Barangay Payatas.
Bautista is also calling for the strict implementation of the Price Tag Law to protect consumers against unscrupulous traders and manufacturers.
He also stressed the need for installing price monitoring boards in the city markets to alert consumers on the prevailing price ranges set by the Department of Trade and Industry.