PRICES of imported canned meat are expected to go down now that it can be inspected on island following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to approve the first canned goods incubation facility on Saipan.
The incubator—an apparatus in which environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity can be controlled—belongs to Quality 1 Distributors.
According to its general manager, Michael R. Smith, he would allow other importers to use the incubator for a minimal charge.
“It reduces the cost and the time, the wait you have for getting the product inspected by the USDA—it’s good for business,” Smith said.
USDA inspectors Frank Tenorio and George Moses said the incubator would save importers time in shipping their canned meat products for inspection.
Moreover, consumers would no longer pay the extra charge importers pass on to them to recover expenses for shipping and testing.
Moses said meat products from Korea are not allowed to enter the CNMI because of reports of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Smith said their company imports one container of canned meat products from Australia and New Zealand every month—mostly beef and lamb.
Smith said the incubation facility would yield economic benefits to consumers and his company.
“We don’t have to incur the additional shipping and inspection charges from the off-island people. That’s savings of about 10 cents a can,” he said.
Smith said the incubator costs $3,000. It took them about four months to get all the necessary requirements approved by concerned agencies, primarily the USDA.
Marianne C. Teregeyo, Department of Lands and Natural Resources spokeswoman, said samples of canned meat from Denmark, Australia and other countries used to be sent to Guam for testing and analysis. But this is no longer needed due to Quality 1’s incubation facility.
“The facility would be available to other importers. In the past, samples of canned meat products have to go through Guam. When they do that, they go through wharfage, paper handling and all that. That’s an additional expense to consumers,” Teregeyo said.
CNMI veterinarian Dr. Ignacio Dela Cruz echoed Teregeyo’s statement.
“This incubator is going to save producers a lot of time. Before, they have to wait a lot of time to have the test done on Guam. Now that the testing can be done here, within a 10-day period they can start marketing their products,” Dela Cruz said.
Rep. Andrew Salas, R-Saipan, said “it is about time that the CNMI gets its own incubation facility.” “It’s going to minimize our cost from 3 to 10 cents per can. To me that’s a significant improvement,” he said.
