Sadia Chicken Claps Back; Filipino Expats Defend Brand

by Staff Report

UAE-based Overseas Filipinos (OFs) expressed disappointment over the withdrawal of Sadia’s frozen chicken products from Union Cooperative outlets yesterday, as part the its preventive measures.

As a refresher, the chicken brand was taken off the shelves in Union Cooperative outlets due to reported contamination.

Onin Tangonan, who claims to be a worker at the chicken brand’s delivery and warehouse units, commented on the Filipino Times Facebook, saying that Sadia’s chicken products are safe for everyday consumption.

“Ako ay nagtatrabaho sa Sadia. Ang produkto namin, safe na safe, mga kabayan. Kahit ako kumakain niyan every day pa,” Tangonan said. “Mga kababayan, walang dapat ikatakot sa Sadia chicken, kahit mga sikat na hotel [dito], umo-order pa rin ng chicken.”

“I eat Sadia brand for more than 10 years now, but nothing has ever happened to me. Dubai municipality are very strict when it comes to food and health safety,” another Facebook user named JR GM Asocrale said.

But the Filipino community has now a reason to rejoice as Sadia chicken products are now brought back to the shelves of Union Coop’s outlets, following an investigation performed by the coop and Dubai’s Food Safety Department.

“An investigation revealed Sadia’s products continue to meet the highest quality standards and that there was no cause for the retailer to withdraw products voluntarily from its stores,” Sadia said in a press release.

Union Coop’s initial declaration appeared to be part of the coop’s internal procedure.

Iman Al Bastaki, Director of Food Safety Department, also claimed that the Dubai municipality has not released any official advisory on the withdrawal of Sadia chicken.

“There is no problem with Sadia chicken. Everything is okay,” Sultan Ali Al Taher, head of Food Inspection Section at Dubai Municipality’s Food Safety Department, told local media.

(Source: FilipinoTimes.ae)