Incorporating animal forensics in routine meat inspection in the Philippines

Robust species identification of unprocessed and processed meat is essential to ensure the safety and quality of food products. Meat adulteration results from the wrong identification of animal sources, contamination of different meats during processing, or intentional meat substitution using those from other species and non-meat products of lower economic value. This review discusses the potential applications of DNA barcoding in routine meat inspections in the Philippines. Developing mini-barcode primer sets to enhance the utility of conventional techniques is critical in adopting DNA barcoding technology as a robust tool for routine inspections of meat sold commercially, including those intended for the halal meat industry. Increasing the ability of the Philippine National Meat Inspection Service to document the number, types, and scope of meat fraud is a step forward in finally using animal forensic science as a valuable component of its regulatory functions for the protection of the meat-consuming public.