The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) under the Department of Agriculture has released guidelines for consumers who buy their meat online following reports of contaminated meat being sold through digital platforms. “Without physical access to the items being sold, consumers buying meat online have no way of knowing its quality and rely mainly on textual description and images provided by the seller,” NMIS said in its advisory. ADVERTISEMENT“In buying highly perishable food like meat, any inaccurate, false, or exaggerated presentation of facts may cause potential food safety hazards,” it added. Chilled meat is cold to the touch, while frozen meat must be rock solid. The online shopping boom, which was driven by the coronavirus pandemic, also led the agency to intensify its monitoring of illegal traders online.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 17, 2020 20:37 UTC