BAGUIO CITY — Authorities here urged the public to avoid relying solely on social media or online searches to determine whether food is safe, following a report of a potentially poisonous crab allegedly sold at the Baguio City Public Market.

The City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) issued a statement addressing the incident, which began on 22 August when a consumer purchased crabs from the fish section of the public market.

The buyer noticed an unfamiliar brownish-red crab measuring about 3 to 4 inches long with distinct markings among her purchases.

After an online search led her to suspect that the crab might be toxic, she discarded her entire purchase without consuming it.

The buyer reported the incident to the CVAO through social media on 23 August and shared her experience on public community pages.

Officials met with the consumer on 24 August to gather details and attempt to retrieve the specimen. However, because the crab had already been discarded, authorities could not conduct a physical examination or laboratory testing to determine its species or whether it was toxic.

The CVAO, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Cordillera, City Treasury Office and Public Safety and Order Division conducted a joint inspection of the market's fish section on 24 August.

The team inspected vendor stalls for potentially dangerous marine species and distributed educational materials on toxic fish and crabs.

No suspected poisonous crabs were found during the inspection.

Fisheries and agriculture officials stressed that photographs and internet searches alone are insufficient to accurately identify a species or determine whether it is safe for consumption.

Authorities said daily monitoring of the market's fish section will continue.

The public was advised to immediately report unfamiliar seafood to authorities and, when possible, preserve specimens so experts can conduct proper identification and testing.