CITING the results of its inspections, the Department of Public Health said Saipan’s restaurants do not serve dog or cat meat, which is prohibited by Public Law 11-40.
Acting Health Secretary James U. Hofschneider said the results of the Bureau of Environmental Health’s inspections showed that the law “has been very effective.”
P.L. 11-40, or the Pure Food, Drug, Cosmetic and Device Act, prohibits the sale of dog and cat meat for human consumption.
The law also aims to ensure that food sold locally is pure, wholesome, safe to eat and produced under sanitary conditions.
“Our enforcers reported that there has been no recent case of sale of these dog and cat meat among the restaurants and grocery stores that BEH had inspected. I hope this will continue,” Hofschneider told the Variety.
Public Health will continue its surveillance, he added.
“I also encourage the community to immediately report to us any suspected violation of this law. It is something that threatens public health and should therefore be known,” he said.
In 1999, Public Health raided several establishments after receiving reports that they were serving cat meat.
Some establishments had items labeled as “pork” or “beef” that contained dog meat.
