Look for stamps, inspection 

certs in meat stalls -NMIC 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 20 (PIA)--As the fiesta season is upcoming and to be aware of government regulations on food safety, authorities shared two things to check before buying that displayed meat from you favorite market stall. 

After the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has discovered some NMIS-marked meat supply displayed in the markets are obtained from questionable sources, a decision came out. 

Not only would the meats on display bear the NMIS stamp, it must also be displayed with the NMIS Certification of the bulk of meat on display for the day, including the hour when the animal was slaughtered, according to NMIS Maria Liz Calunsag. 

Speaking at the Regional Farm Family Congress and 4H Club Encampment held in Cebu City, Calunsag explained that the additional requirement came after they found out it was easy to fake the NMIS stamp and suppliers simply make rubber stamps to copy the NMIS mark on the meat. 

Informing the gathering of young farmers and rural improvement clubs attending the gathering that meat displayed outside a temperature controlled counter would only last for eight hours at most before spoiling, she said the NMIS figured out that a separate NMIS certificate on the day's display would be in order. 

As the government agency mandated to accredit slaughter houses, poultry dressing plants, meat cutting plants, meat transport vehicles equipment fabricators as well as assesses cold storages, the NMIC has other tasks in their charter. 

NMIC also accredits mat and meat product importers, exporters, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, meat handlers, meat brokers and registers locally manufactured and imported meat products, all to insure that everything available in the markets are safe to eat and are processed in sanitary conditions. 

Absent these certifications, NMIS warns: the meat could come from questionable sources. 

By questionable sources, Calunsag means "botcha," double dead, those slaughtered despite diseases, or those slaughtered from non accredited slaughter houses by non accredited meat handlers which often result in contaminated meat. 

Improperly prepared meat can lead to food poisoning due to the growth of bacteria that can produce toxins in unsanitary conditions, reminded the NMIS. 

NMIS insists that meat handlers must maintain proper hygiene at all times, and religiously keep the proper meat handling methods which they get from the training. 

At the same time, the government agency also reminds consumers to store their food properly always. 

This means food like raw meat must be stored properly in freezers or refrigerators with controlled temperature to kill bacteria or stop its growth. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

NMIS Calunsag bared that to ensure food safety, apart from looking for the NMIS stamps on inspected and safe meat, the government is also now demanding meat stall vendors to display their daily meat display certificates from NMIS or its deputized agents. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)