DSWD sends samples of ‘unpalatable’ canned tuna to FDA for testing

FILE PHOTO: Facade of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) samples of the canned tuna it distributed to Oriental Mindoro residents after complaints of having an “unacceptable and unusual taste.”

This was one of the recommendations by the DSWD’s fact-finding board after meeting with the representatives of the two suppliers of Ocean’s Best Tuna, which is one of the food items in the agency’s Family Food Packs.

Based on the May 5 report of the DSWD field office  in Mimaropa region, the complaints range from having “unacceptable and unusual taste” to being “unpalatable” and “smells like rotten eggs,” according to DSWD.

“The DSWD will wait for the results of the FDA tests as this will determine objectively and scientifically whether the questioned canned tuna flakes is really safe for the consumption of the beneficiaries or not,” DSWD spokesperson Romel Lopez said in a statement.

“Until we have the full report of the FDA, we cannot categorically say if the complaints were due to taste preference or if there is really contamination in the cans of Ocean’s Best Tuna,” Lopez added.

The DSWD’s fact-finding meeting also learned that the agency’s stockpile of canned tuna had not expired as samples of the canned goods showed that its expiration is in 2025, or two years from now.

“The FDA test will also determine if the expiration date stamped on the cans really correspond to the state and quality of the tuna flakes inside cans,” the spokesperson pointed out.

Lopez said that should the FDA test result turn against Ocean’s Best Tuna, the DSWD has a wide range of options which includes the replacement of the whole lot by the suppliers and other sanctions such as withholding of payment and even blacklisting from the list of accredited suppliers.

Initial feedback gathered by the field office in Mimaropa region indicated several complaints against Ocean’s Best Tuna from DSWD beneficiaries from the City of Calapan and the municipalities of Naujan, Bulalacao and Roxas in Oriental Mindoro.

Oriental Mindoro has been beset by an oil spill crisis, which affected the livelihood of thousands of people.—Maria Liezl Projella, trainee

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