QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 9296)
RA 9296 is the “Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines.” It strengthens the meat inspection system by establishing policies, rules, and procedures governing the flow of food animals, meat, and meat products, including their preservation, inspection, and enforcement to ensure safety and quality.
The State aims to ensure food security and provide safety and quality standards to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury and hazards to health; promote risk analysis based on scientific methodology; prevent entry of disease-carrying animals and support animal health; and strengthen rules on meat importation for safety and quality.
Adulterated includes meat that contains poisonous or deleterious substances (including certain added substances), is filthy/putrid/decomposed or otherwise unfit, was prepared/packed/held under unsanitary conditions, is from a diseased animal or animal that died other than by slaughter, has improper containers (poisonous/deleterious), was improperly radiated, has omitted/abstracted valuable constituents, has substitutions or concealed damage/infertiority, or fails to meet current acceptable manufacturing practice, has passed expiry date.
Inspection is an act by an official inspector to ensure compliance with rules and regulations, including humane handling, ante- and post-mortem inspection, and implementation of quality assurance, hygiene and sanitation programs, SSOPs, HACCP, residue control, and inspection of facilities and transport vehicles.
The NMIS (formerly National Meat Inspection Commission) serves as the sole national controlling authority on meat and meat product inspection and meat hygiene. It is a specialized regulatory service attached to the Department of Agriculture.
The Meat Inspection Board assists in formulating policies and guidelines and advises the NMIS chairperson on matters pertaining to meat inspection and meat hygiene. It is composed of various government and representative members, including the Secretary of Agriculture as chairperson.
Only meat control officers, deputized meat control officers, meat inspectors, and deputized meat inspectors duly appointed and designated by the NMIS or local government units are authorized to conduct meat inspection work.
An ante-mortem inspection must be made before animals are allowed for slaughter in city/municipal or licensed private abattoirs. Any animal showing disease or condition warrants outright condemnation, marked “CONDENEMED,” isolated immediately, and disposed of under an inspector’s supervision.
“Inspected and Passed” means carcasses/parts marked as safe, wholesome, and fit for human consumption. “Inspected and Condemned” means marked as unsafe, unwholesome, and unfit; condemned items must be destroyed for food purposes in the presence of an inspector.
Carcasses/parts that are not adulterated are marked “Inspected and Passed,” while adulterated ones are marked “Inspected and Condemned.” Condemned carcasses/parts and condemned meat products must be destroyed for food purposes by the establishment in the presence of an inspector.
Inspectors shall re-inspect carcasses and parts when necessary to determine whether the meat became adulterated after the first inspection.
No person may sell, transport, offer for sale or receive for transportation in commerce any carcasses/meat/meat products unless they are plainly and conspicuously marked or labeled as required by regulations, indicating the kind of animals from which they were derived.
Inspectors shall seize, confiscate, condemn, or dispose of carcasses or parts sold/transported/distributed without ante-mortem inspection. If found fit during examination, disposition shall be according to the IRR.
NMIS conducts examination and laboratory analysis after products are approved for release by the National Veterinary Quarantine Service. Items found filthy, contaminated, adulterated, or misbranded are seized/recall/confiscated/condemned/disposed by destruction or re-export at the importer’s expense.
Meat exporters must secure accreditation of foreign meat establishments at source from the Department of Agriculture and undergo audit/inspection for compliance with Philippine and internationally recognized standards.
After inspection and marking as “Inspected and Passed,” the products must be placed/packed under inspection establishment supervision, and the person preparing the product must cause a label to be attached stating the contents have been “Inspected and Passed.”
Examples include slaughtering/preparing meat except in compliance with the Act; humane-slaughter violations; selling/transporting meat that is required to be inspected but was not inspected and passed; acts intended to cause adulteration or misbranding during transport/holding; forging or using simulated official marks/certificates; and interfering with inspectors.
The Secretary may issue a cease and desist order, after proper notice and summary hearing (unless continued operation poses imminent danger to public health), to stop operations found in violation and posing risk to public health and the animal population.
Within 90 days from effectivity, the Secretary must convene a technical working committee to formulate the IRR in consultation with the private sector, and submit the IRR to the Committees on Agriculture of both Houses of Congress for prior approval.