The Bureau of Plant Industry, under the Department of Agriculture (DA), has taken legal measures against Chastity Consumer Goods Trading. Accusations have surfaced of the company violating the Food Safety Act and Plant Quarantine Law due to misdeclaration of imported onions. The case comes after two shipments labeled as frozen fish egg balls arrived at the Port of Subic in August 2024, only to be found containing 6,395 stacks of yellow onions without proper sanitary clearance.
The DA’s statement, released on Sunday, indicates that further inspection by the BPI revealed high microbiological contamination, including E. coli, rendering the onions unsafe for consumption. Additionally, Chastity Consumer Goods is not registered as an importer with the BPI. Chastity’s owner and president, Lina Bang Talan, has been named in the complaint.
This incident underscores significant risks to public health due to mislabeling, lacking the essential permits and inspections. The DA had earlier allowed the importation of 3,000 metric tons of red onions and 1,000 metric tons of white onions to stabilize prices and maintain supply, pending the upcoming harvest season.
According to BPI data, as of mid-January, red onion reserves stood at 8,500 metric tons and white onions at 1,628 metric tons. These figures are vital when compared to the average monthly demand of 17,000 metric tons for red onions and 4,000 metric tons for white onions. Price records from February 22 indicate that white onion prices in Metro Manila ranged from P127.22 to P129.19 per kilogram, while red onions varied between P182.32 to P144.00 per kilogram.