March 1, 2011

A Cebu City Regional Trial Court reportedly junked a petition against the implementation of an administrative order regulating the frozen or chilled storage of meat and meat products.

According to a press statement by the National Meat Inspection Service,  a group of 17 Cebu-based meat importers and dealers filed a petition December last year asking the court to rule on the validity of Administrative Order (AO) 22 issued by the Agriculture department last November. The group called the said order as "unfair," since no rules were issued for "local fresh meat."

They further claimed that the order was allegedly "unconstitutional" since local meat dealers could sell theirs without undergoing cold storage, while they are required by AO 22 to store their products in a chiller or a freezer.

However, presiding judge Simeon P. Dumdum decided that the petition failed to show that the order was unconstitutional, according to the NMIS press statement. The decision also stated that the guarantee of equal protection of the laws is "not violated by a legislation based on reasonable qualification."

The court maintained that the distinction between "frozen" and "not frozen" in the order was clear.

As defined by AO 22, "frozen meat and meat products" referred to meat subjected to freezing temperature below -18ËšC.

Issued on Nov. 22 last year by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, the order institutes the proper handling of chilled and frozen meat and meat products to maintain their quality and safety when sold in retail outlets.

Based on a copy of the said order, thawing and repacking from bulk packaging of meat must be done in a temperature-controlled environment not exceeding 10ËšC. Repacked products for retail must then be stored in refrigerated facilities and transported in vehicles that can maintain temperature of at most 4ËšC. Finally, once sold in meat stalls, retail-packed frozen goods must be kept in temperatures not higher than 10ËšC.