DA: Beware of contaminated smuggled onions

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has warned the public against buying illegally imported onions at Paco Public Market in Manila after these tested positive for E. coli.

“This is a food safety issue and a clear threat to public health.

We will order the confiscation of those onions as required under the Food Safety Act of 2013,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.

The DA has already asked the Manila City government to seize the onions “to protect the public and consumers from foodborne illnesses.”