Ni NOEL ABUEL
Sa layuning matiyak na “fit for hunan consumption’ ang mga plant-based na pagkain, inilunsad ng Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) ang isang makabagong Mobile Plant Food Safety Laboratory.
Pinangunahan nina Senador Cynthia A. Villar at BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban ang inagurasyon ng kauna-unahang roving laboratory para sa food testing ng mga plant- based na pagkain noong nakaraang Huwebes April 12 sa BPI complex sa lunsod ng Maynila.
“It will ensure the safety of consumers to make sure that plant-based foods are free from pesticide residues, chemicals and microbial contaminants particularly in markets where access to conventional laboratories are restricted,” ani Villar.
“As Filipinos we are used to evaluating our fruits and vegetables by merely using our eyes. We look at their appearance, or by touching ,smelling and tasting them and we conclude that they are fit for consumption, or whether they are acceptable or rejected,” sabi pa ng chairperson ng Senate committee on agriculture and food.
Nabatid na Iikot ang roving modern laboratory sa mga palengke sa capital city upang pukawin ang kaalaman sa food safety at mabuting good food handling practices.
May kakayahan itong suriin ang mapanganib na food contaminants at pathogens kabilang ang toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides at antibiotics.
Susuriin ng BPI mobile laboratory kung may toxic chemicals, pesticides sa mga prutas at gulay at E.coli sa tubig at salmonella.
“Test results take just a few minutes to a few hours. Although these tests are not as thorough as analyses performed in large laboratories, they are enough to detect the worst cases of contamination, allowing officials to alert sellers and buyers,” ayon pa kay Villar.
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