The director of verification for the Aupsa, Jorge Landires, said: "We have ordered the return of more than 25,000 kilograms of onions to the Netherlands after detecting they had mold". "We also ordered the incineration of 1,080 kilograms of onions from Spain because, upon inspecting them, we discovered they didn't meet phytosanitary import requirements, which threatens the agricultural heritage of the country and the population's health."
He also stated that they had started infringement proceedings against the two importers so that they can be appropriately sanctioned for failing to comply with phytosanitary standards, which clearly require that all imports of food products for human or animal consumption arrive in optimal conditions for consumption.
This year, the Aupsa has incinerated nearly 158,387.93 kilograms of food and re-exported 135,930 kilograms that couldn't enter Panama because they didn't comply with health and / or phytosanitary requirements.
Most of the seizures and destruction of imported food took place between May and July of this year. Among the food destroyed was: potatoes, white and red onions, cheese, lettuce, meat, mushrooms, rice, malt, juice, bread, and other products.
A report by the Dinave indicates that the food products confiscated and incinerated this year came from the United States, Peru, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Colombia, Belgium, and France, among other countries.
Some of the reasons why these products were seized and destroyed include: loss of cold chain, health alert, pollution, expired products, detection of insects, undeclared goods, and failure to comply with health or phytosanitary requirements, among others.
Source: panamaamerica.com.pa