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DPH warns against products from Belgium
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Posted on Jun 21 1999
The Department of Public Health has started checking the Commonwealth food wholesalers to find out if they have imported products from Belgium particularly chicken and eggs which may have been contaminated with cancer-causing agent dioxin.
“While we believe that there is little cause for concern, we urge the public to take care in purchasing food products and to contact the Bureau of Environmental Health if they have any questions,” said Joseph Kevin Villagomez, DPH secretary.
CNMI’s Public Health representatives have visited 15 of Saipan’s major food and drink wholesale distributors and met with managers and purchasing agents on Friday and Saturday, June 13th and June 14th, according to a report made by Bureau of Environmental Health and Enforcement Supervisor John Tagabuel.
The US Food and Drug Administration has announced on June 1, 1999 that all imports of eggs, products containing eggs and game meats from Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as all animal products, animal derived medicated and non-medicated feeds, feed ingredients, and pet foods, from all European countries will be detained at the US port of entry.
Although none of the distributors who have been contacted had received products from any of the countries affected, Villagomez said they have been urged to remain vigilant.
Some 68 wholesale health permits were issued by the Bureau of Environmental Health in 1998. As of June 1999, only 18 had been renewed and two have ceased operation.
Belgium said the dioxin contamination had been limited to 175,000 pounds of feed distributed to in late January. The Belgian food industry association estimates the crisis has cost the country $500 million. Although domestic market has been restored, export of Belgium products has been harmed across the globe.
However, countries continue to ban or restrict Belgian food.
The Philippines banned poultry, beef and pork products imported from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Likewise, Thailand has also pulled food products from France and the Netherlands off the shelves to comply with a broad new ban stemming from Belgium’s dioxin contamination scandal.
