FDA to revoke registration of 'fake' vinegar products
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s Food and Drug Administration said it will revoke the certificates of product registration of vinegar products using synthetic acetic acid.
In a release Tuesday, FDA officer-in-charge Rolando Enrique Domingo said the agency is continuously subjecting vinegar products to testing.
“Synthetic acetic acid may not be harmful per se, but products using such chemicals shall have their registration with the FDA revoked for misdeclaration,” Domingo said.
The FDA explained the product is considered adulterated if it contains artificial matter such as synthetic acetic acid or cloudifying agent.
The FDA did not name the brands that use synthetic acetic acid.
A study by the Department of Science and Technology-attached agency Philippine Nuclear Research Institute showed that among the more than 360 brands of commercial vinegar, eight out of 10 are made from synthetic acetic acid.
The PNRI study said such products did not undergo the natural process of fermentation.
“Condiments usually undergo the process of fermentation and the raw materials must come from fruits and other natural products,” Raymond Sucgang, head of the PNRI Nuclear Analytical Techniques Applications Section, said.
The FDA, however, noted that vinegar is a “low risk product” and there is “no evidence that synthetic acetic acid is harmful to health.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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