Customs on noodle watch nationwide

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—No new shipments of Nongshim noodles from South Korea will be allowed to get through any of the country’s ports, the Bureau of Customs said Wednesday.

“No food items that could endanger the lives and well-being of Filipinos should be allowed to enter the country,” Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said, noting that instant noodle preparations bearing the Nongshim brand had been recalled by South Korean authorities because they contained the cancer-causing substance benzopyrene.

Biazon directed Customs personnel at all ports to “closely monitor shipments of several brands of South Korean noodles manufactured by Nongshim Co. Ltd,” specifically Nongshim Neoguri (Hot), Nongshim Neugori (Mild Hot), Nongshim Neoguri (Multi Hot), Neongshim Big Bowl Shrimp, Nongshim Saengsaeng Udon Bowl, and Nongshim Saengsaeng Udon, among others.

He also ordered a review of all BOC-accredited importers bringing in instant noodles from South Korea to “check who among them are importing Nongshim products.”

“After getting reports from South Korea that said noodle brands have been recalled by their Food and Drug Administration for containing the cancer-causing substance benzopyrene, I immediately ordered all our port officials to monitor the importation of these noodle brands and to subject them to testing by our FDA,” he said.

Biazon clarified that only the FDA can ban such products. “However, we will make sure that these Korean noodle brands are not released even prior to the issuance of the FDA ban,” he said.

In a Nov. 1 advisory, FDA acting head Kenneth Hartigan-Go said the FDA was banning that brand of instant noodles from the local market certified safe by Department of Health tests.

As a precaution, the FDA is “undertaking inspection, collection and testing of other brands of (imported) noodles not identified as contaminated,” Go said.

“We urge the public to avoid buying these products and report to us if these brands are still in the market. If you have these products, they need to be disposed as they are not fit for consumption,” said Go, adding the public could call the FDA via phone numbers 807-8275 and 807-0751.

Last week, the environmental group EcoWaste Coalition claimed to have detected cancer-causing substances in the powdered seasonings in Nongshim instant noodle preparations.

It warned brand was still carried by Korean specialty stores in Makati, Quezon City and other parts of Metro Manila.

Three other countries—China, Taiwan and Vietnam—were also reported to have recalled the same Nongshim noodle brands, citing similar health fears.