Public warned vs illegal organic inputs, pet foods

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MANILA, Philippines — Two attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA) have warned the public against the proliferation of illegal organic inputs and pet foods, especially online, as they are not properly registered.

The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) issued two separate advisories regarding illegal products within their jurisdiction that are being commercially sold to the public.

BAFS said the soil conditioner product named HumicPro, which is being distributed by CultivAsia, claims to be an organic product but is uncertified and unregistered.

The product is not certified as organic by any of BAFS’s accredited organic certifying bodies.  Furthermore, BAFS said it does not have any record that the product is registered with the bureau.

“Therefore, it is not authorized to be labeled or sold as organic. Please be cautious when considering this product,” BAFS said.

Under existing laws, BAFS is mandated to oversee the regulation of organic farms as well as organic inputs such as soil amendments and biocontrol agents in the country.

HumicPro is available in ecommerce platforms like Shopee and is being sold in packs of 100 grams with each pack worth P412.

CultivAsia’s Shopee account claimed that HumicPro is an organic soil conditioner and fertilizer enhancer that optimizes soil nutrition.

In a separate advisory, the BAI continued to warn the public against unregistered pet products found on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, Facebook and other various pet supply and feed establishments.

The various freeze-dried dog food and pet food with the brand Petsup were shown as well as a puppy food with the brand FOLOPETS.

BAI said the products were found to lack proper certification and their suppliers unidentified after a recent post-market surveillance and a review of its registration records.

“Pet owners are reminded not to purchase or promote unregistered feed products until they have been officially certified by the BAI or FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” BAI said.

However, Petsup PH, in a Facebook post, said that its freeze-dried food for dogs and cats are duly certified by BAI. Petsup PH posted four separate certificates of feed product registration issued by BAI.

“We remain committed to working and cooperating with BAI to continuously and fully comply with regulations,” Petsup PH said.