Turkish flour finally gets clearance from RP’s FDA

Now it's official: Baked products from wheat flour imported from Turkey are safe for human consumption, the Food and Drug Administration has said. The FDA said it had intensively conducted market monitoring of the flour for mycotoxins, including Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin. "In the interest of protecting public health, all are hereby informed that results of the exhaustive monitoring and analysis conducted showed that the samples of wheat flour collected are safe and fit for human consumption," the FDA said in an April 14 advisory signed by FDA head Nazarita Tacandong. Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) said its initial tests on samples of flour from Turkey tested negative for mycotoxins, but said it still had to conduct more thorough tests. The DOH said six samples were collected from Metro Manila and Central Visayas from March 9 to 22, and were subjected to laboratory analysis on March 27. Five of the flour samples were imported from Turkey, while one was from a local source, it added. The tests stemmed from reports that the flour from Turkey was substandard and may contain toxic substances. According to the DOH, the tests searched for the presence of mycotoxins, particularly Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin, using the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain species of fungi. — LBG, GMANews.TV