The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will impose sanctions against those responsible for misdeclared and smuggled goods seized Tuesday morning at the Port of Manila.

The FDA, in collaboration with the Department of Health (DoH), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Bureau of Customs, conducted a joint inspection at the city's port following reports of suspicious import activities. The operation was initiated after a 26 June request from the DA, urging the FDA to investigate shipments allegedly misclassified as processed food items.

Declared as egg noodles, spring rolls and dumplings, the shipments were found to contain approximately 74 metric tons of red onions valued at P10.3 million, yellow onions worth P3.82 and frozen mackerel estimated between P13 million and P20 million.

FDA director general Paolo Teston stressed the agency's mandate under the Food and Drug Administration Act to regulate, inspect and monitor processed food products entering the country to ensure safety and quality standards.

Teston reiterated the agency's responsibility to protect consumer health and called on businesses to comply with regulatory requirements, including securing a License to Operate as importers and distributors, and obtaining Certificates of Product Registration for each product.

Meanwhile, DoH Secretary Ted Herbosa warned the public against buying smuggled or illegally imported onions. This caution followed June tests of samples from the Paco Public Market in Manila, which tested positive for E. coli bacteria.

"E. coli causes gastrointestinal illnesses such as diarrhea, fever, and even death due to dehydration in children or the elderly. So there's really an issue of food safety in smuggled items," Herbosa said.