FDA to test vinegar brands to check if they contain synthetic acetic acid

The Food and Drug Administration will conduct tests on vinegar brands in the market to check if they use synthetic acetic acid.

"Basta vinegar, dapat natural," Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo, undersecretary and spokesperson of the Department of Health and officer-in-charge of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said on Tuesday in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

Domingo said that as per FDA's definition, vinegar should be naturally fermented.

"Ang mga nagma-manufacture ng suka kapag sila ay nagpaparehistro ng produkto, ang ating definition ng suka, dapat natural fermentation 'yung acetic acid. So kung minislabel nila at sinabi nilang natural ito pero synthetic ang ginamit nila, 'yon po ang kanilang pananagutan," he said.

"'Yung issue natin dito 'yung mislabeling," Domingo added.

"Kung gumagamit nga sila tapos synthetic ang inihahalo nila, bawal 'yun," he said.

The use of a clouding substance to make the product look like vinegar is also not allowed, he added.

"'Pag nirehistro as vinegar, bawal 'yung synthetic acetic acid saka 'yung clouding substances o pampalabo para magmukhang suka," the FDA OIC said.

Domingo: 'Pag nirehistro as vinegar, bawal 'yung synthetic acetic acid saka 'yung clouding substances o pampalabo.

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) May 20, 2019

Domingo said manufacturers of 274 vinegar brands in the market have been issued a memo on Monday to determine the composition of their product.

"Itong 274 (vinegar) brands, pina-memo-han kahapon. Unang-una, mag-eksplika sila...kung ang ginagamit nila natural," he said.

Domingo said if synthetic acetic acid is registered as a chemical product, there is no problem. However, a product registered as vinegar should not use synthetic acetic acid.

He added that if a manufacturer discloses that its vinegar brand is not natural, the said product should be taken out of the market.

"If they claim na hindi natural, hindi na kailangan suriin. Kailangan tanggalin na lang 'yon (sa market)," Domingo said.

Safety

The FDA OIC clarified however, that the use of synthetic acetic acid is safe.

"Wala naman pong ebidensiya na nagsasabi na mayroong masamang epekto ang acetic acid either in its naturally-fermented form or doon sa synthetically-fermented form... Hindi naman sila (consumers) dapat mag-alala... Very low risk naman 'yan when it comes to safety," Domingo said.

Domingo: Wala naman pong ebidensya na nagsasabi na mayroong masamang epekto ang acetic acid either in its naturally-fermented form or doon sa synthetically-fermented form.

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) May 20, 2019

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) recently said 15 out of 17 brands of vinegar sold in major supermarkets are made from synthetic acetic acid.

The PNRI did not name the said brands but said it has submitted to the FDA a copy of the results of their research, and the FDA will coordinate with manufacturers.

It clarified on Monday that it did not tag vinegar brands made from synthetic acetic acid as carcinogenic. —KG, GMA News