Cops seize ‘magic sugar’ from Manila vendors

A day after announcing a crackdown on "magic sugar," police in Manila seized the controversial ingredient after raiding a store selling summer coolers using it. Radio dzBB reported that a team from the Manila Police District Station 2 seized the "magic sugar" from the store selling sago and gulaman at the corner of Juan Luna Street and C.M. Recto Avenue. MPD Station 2 head Chief Inspector Ernesto Tendero said the raid stemmed from information that vendors there were selling summer drinks that used the banned ingredient. Tendero said customers of the store suspected magic sugar when they noticed a bitter aftertaste, a characteristic of the ingredient. He also said the vendors in the raided store admitted using the ingredient because it was cheaper than refined sugar. Earlier, the MPD announced a clampdown on vendors selling products with magic sugar, saying they will arrest the vendors and confiscate their products. [See: Cops clamp down on vendors selling drinks with magic sugar] Last weekend, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral warned the public against magic sugar and artificial sweeteners that may cause health risks. She said many vendors may be tempted to use the controversial product due to high prices of refined sugar. Also, she urged local government units (LGUs) to have their health workers monitor vendors of halo-halo and other summer fare, to make sure these food items are cleanly prepared. Cabral’s predecessor Francisco Duque III had warned schools and local government agencies to be on guard against ambulant vendors using "magic sugar" in the drinks they sell. The Food and Drugs Administration had warned against the use of the illegal sweetener known as "magic sugar," which is known to cause cancer. Neotogen or "magic sugar" is a cheaper and sweeter substitute than cane sugar and has been used by some vendors selling juice drinks. As early as August 2000, the BFAD issued an advisory that magic sugar is prohibited "due to evidence of its carcinogenicity in animals." — RSJ, GMANews.TV