The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has concluded the disposal of the contaminated consignment of pig feet that was brought into Liberia in December 2018 by one of Liberia’s frozen food importers- Cheaitou Brothers Incorporated.  

A Commerce Ministry release says all the 2,745 barrels of the contaminated pig meat have been dumped, following four days of intensive packaging at the premises of Cheaitou Brothers in Senyon Town, Bushrod Island.

During the disposal exercise that began on Friday, March 29 and concluded today, April 2, 2019, relevant line ministries and agencies of government and the media converged at the Senyon Town facilities of Cheiatou Brothers Incorporated, to witness the process before the contaminated pig feet were escorted to the disposal site in Wein Town, in FDA Community in Paynesville.

The release said each barrel of the contaminated pig meat was opened publically, with the items placed in a large black plastic bag and sealed up before subsequently being placed in the truck to be dispatched for disposal in order to ensure transparency.

It can be recalled that in December 2018, the European Union issued a worldwide alert to the Liberian government, through the Ministry of Health that a consignment of suspected contaminated pig feet from a slaughter house in Europe was being imported into several countries, including Liberia. The EU, at the time said its surveillance   showed that the supply was contaminated with Salmonella Poison.

Upon the issuance of the world wide alert by the European Union, the Liberian government, through the Ministries of Health and Commerce and Industry, along with other line authorities moved in and quarantined the consignment in order to prevent any health hazard.

Samples of the supply were taken to   the National Standards Laboratory at the Ministry of Public Works yard in Monrovia for testing. The test result, released on January 30, 2019 and   validated through an international peer review process proved that indeed the consignment was contaminated with Salmonella Poison.

Jacob N.B. Parley
Public Affairs Director