Kidapawan City (CNN Philippines) – Inspection teams from Kidapawan City Hall and local law enforcement agencies seized thousands of pieces of expired Wendy’s Durian Candy and other food items sold in the public market and terminal stalls in the city on Monday (July 13).
Mayor Joseph Evangelista ordered the inspection after 20 fifth grade pupils of Kidapawan City Pilot Elementary School (KCPES) suffered food poisoning after eating Wendy’s Durian Candy last week.
Teams from the Public Safety Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine National Police, covered by local media, inspected stalls at the City Overland Terminal.
They found out that Wendy’s durian and mangosteen candies were still being sold there.
They seized expired candies and other food products from vendors’ shelves and kept them in sealed boxes, which would be forwarded to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for laboratory testing.
The products were believed to be the causes of a massive food poisoning incident in Caraga Region last week.
The inspection and confiscation of expired food items were done in accordance with the provisions of the Food Safety Regulatory Act for Consumer Protection (Republic Act 10611) and or the Sanitation Act of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 856).
Psalmer Bern Thousands hospitalized due to candy poisoning in Surigao del Suralte, an officer of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMO), reminded the public to be always vigilant when buying food products.
Bernalte said consumers should check the expiration dates on package labels to avoid the risk of buying spoiled products.
School administrators were also told to prohibit vendors from selling food products inside their campuses to avoid another food poisoning incident.
