FDA: 5 vinegar products contain synthetic acetic acid

MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration identified five vinegar brands with batches that they found contained synthetic acetic acid, which it said must not be sold to the public.

In an advisory released Tuesday, the FDA said the following batches of vinegar products were found to contain synthetic acetic acid:

• Surebuy Cane Vinegar (Best Before Date: 26 03 21)
• Tentay Pinoy Style Vinegar (Best Before Date: 03 18 21)
• Tentay Premium Vinegar (Batch/Lot No. TV SEP0718AC)
• Tentay Vinegar ‘Sukang Tunay Asim’ (Expiry Date: 06 06 20)
• Chef’s Flavor Vinegar (Expiry Date: 01APR21)

“Following the current administrative order prescribing the standard of identity and quality of vinegar, any artificial matter such as synthetic acid or any cloudifying agent deems the vinegar adulterated hence, it must not be sold to the public,” the advisory read.

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Plant inspections next

FDA said inspection of manufacturing facilities will be done to further verify whether the makers of the said products use synthetic acetic acid.

Thirty-nine samples of vinegar were subjected to testing of Permanganate Oxidation Number—an official method of analysis on the quality of vinegar—by the FDA Laboratory.

The agency, however, clarified that the presence of synthetic acetic acid does not pose safety or health risks.

“The presence of synthetic acetic acid merely represents that the vinegar did not undergo fermentation, either through a slow process, quick process, or submerged culture process which is used for commercial vinegar production,” FDA said.

A study by the Department of Science and Technology-attached agency Philippine Nuclear Research Institute last month showed that among the more than 360 brands of commercial vinegar, eight out of 10 are made from synthetic acetic acid.