Navotas city: The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) jointly executed a raid on Solid Sea Products' cold storage warehouses in Navotas City, in response to alarming reports concerning unsanitary and unsafe storage conditions.

According to Philippines News Agency, the raid came after initial inspections by the DA's Inspectorate and Enforcement, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). These inspections revealed improper handling of meat and fish products in two separate warehouse locations. In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the critical nature of the operation to safeguard public health, asserting the need to protect both consumers and food producers from hazardous practices that could result in dangerous cross-contamination from harmful bacteria.

The BFAR's earlier inspections identified numerous violations, including the improper mixing of processed and unprocessed fish and meat products, such as frozen yellow croaker, Pangasius fillet, and half-shell scallops. Additionally, they noted unsanitary conditions characterized by unpacked items, wooden pallets, foul odors, and poor hygiene practices. Expired fishery commodities were also discovered during these inspections.

The NMIS reported finding various expired meats and aquamarine products, including pork trotters, loin, intestines, ribs, collar, spare ribs, suckling pigs, chicken breasts, goose, and duck wings. The CIDG-backed operation, which was conducted under the authority of two search warrants, uncovered a significant quantity of assorted frozen meat and agri-fishery products, although the total volume has yet to be determined.

Solid Sea Products may face legal charges under the Food Safety Act of 2013 and the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, contingent upon whether the value of the confiscated goods exceeds PHP10 million.