Contraband veggies yield pathogens, heavy metals
Smuggled vegetables worth P34.68 million that were confiscated from a warehouse complex in Navotas City will be destroyed after testing positive for various contaminants, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Friday.
In mid-August, personnel from the DA’s Inspectorate and Enforcement Office, the Bureau of Customs and other agencies seized 300 metric tons of imported white onions, carrots, tomatoes and other food products.
The joint raid revealed that one of the two cold storage facilities contained 132.75 tons of white onions valued at P21.2 million, while another storage facility held 89.89 tons of imported carrots worth P13.48 million.
It also uncovered 360 kilos of tomatoes, 10 kilos of enoki mushrooms, and a 40-footer container van loaded with 92.25 tons of imported white onions.
The DA said the confiscated goods did not have the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
Analyses conducted by BPI on smuggled vegetables from the makeshift cold storage facility showed the presence of organophosphates, organochlorines, and pyrethroids—pesticides harmful to humans—as well as cadmium and lead, heavy metals that pose significant health risks.
In a report to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., BPI Director General Gerald Glenn Panganiban said the tests identified microbiological contaminants such as E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp.
“The food safety analysis confirms that the allegedly smuggled agricultural crops contain pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microbiological contaminants that do not comply with our food safety regulations,” Panganiban said.
