Councilor Jaime Borres of the city’s third district made the call as stalls, kiosks and other retail and wholesale stores in the city are abundant with Holiday Season goodies and food items.

He noted that in order to gain valuable discounts, local buyers are scouring food outlets in a bid to buy as much grocery items and other foodstuffs in preparation for the Holiday Season celebration.

Borres said he sees nothing wrong with advance or wholesale purchases but warned the buyers not to be swayed in buying expired canned goods, processed meat products and similar items as this would put the health of their families and guests at great risk.

He asked the public to obtain their grocery items and food products at reputable supermarkets, groceries and wet markets to ensure that they are safe for consumption.

Borres also asked the city government to create a team that will not only monitor overpriced commodities but also a group that can run after syndicates that remove the label of expired products then passing them off as food items fit for human consumption.

He asked local officials and national government agencies to be “on their toes’’ in monitoring all food items being sold to the public to prevent possible epidemics.

“There are people taking advantage of the economic crisis by selling expired food items that are irresistible to the poor who badly wants to prepare sumptuous meals for their families in the Christmas Season,’’ Borres said.

Borres warned the public to check the expiry dates of the food items they are buying to ensure that the members of their families and friends are being served excellent and safe dishes.

He added that they should also be suspicious of processed meat like frankfurters, hams, bacons, hotdogs, longganisa, tocino, tapa and other Christmas goodies being sold at highly discounted prices.

To ensure the high quality of food items, Borres dissuaded the public on purchasing their needs in obscure and remote groceries and markets selling unlabelled products.

“The key here is getting only the safest food items. Imagine what might be the consequence in getting contaminated food inside your children’s mouth,’’ Borres said.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has repeatedly warned the public against health concerns when consuming expired food products like canned goods and similar items.

Borres also asked the city hall monitoring teams to conduct an intensified inspection of stalls, flea markets, groceries and supermarkets even in the most isolated places where these products are openly sold.

A vendor, who admitted selling expired items, said that consuming items after their expiry dates is still safe saying his customers are aware of the products being sold in his stall.

“My customers know that they are purchasing newly expired powdered milk, cheese and butter. They have been my loyal customers for so long but I haven’t received any complaints from them,’’ the vendor said.

Chito Chavez, Manila Bulletin