Trade Dept. waits for FDA report on Korean instant noodles

The Department of Trade and Industry has no jurisdiction to regulate and keep out of the Philippine market Korean instant noodles that supposedly contain a toxic substance, but it can help inform consumers and stop them from buying the products.   Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya on Monday said the department is now waiting for a Food and Drug Administration report on whether or not the Korean instant noodles contain cancer-causing substance and that Korean stores in the Makati and Quezon City continue to sell them.   "FDA has jurisdiction… We can help disseminate information once confirmed by FDA, and issue advisory to retailers," Maglaya said.   Consumer watchdog EcoWaste Coalition earlier said the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) – citing safety reasons – already ordered the products removed from shelves of South Korean stores.   These products contain benzopyrene, a cancer-causing substance, according to EcoWaste, citing test results it did last week after finding out that the Korean instant noodles were already pulled out of the South Korean market.   It said the products that remain on the shelves of Korean stores in Metro Manila are Mild Neoguri, Spicy Neoguri, Neoguri Cup Noodles (small), Saewootang Cup Noodles (large), and Seng Seng Udong.   Health authorities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan already ordered these the items removed from stores after the KFDA made its announcement, EcoWaste added. — VS, GMA News