Mang Tomas lechon sauce, UFC banana sauce, and Jufran specialty sauces have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to resume shipment into the USA, as announced by Nutri-Asia, Inc., the Philippine manufacturer of the products, on November 7.
On November 4, a social media post by vlogger Cabalen Foodie went viral, noting the temporary halt in shipments of such sauces to the US.
The US FDA issued import alert No. 99-45 on October 25 on products which might be or contain unsafe food additives.
Among the many ingredients present in Philippine-made products were Benzoate, a preservative that has a negative impact on gut microbiome; BHA, one other preservative with carcinogenic potential; and Potassium Iodate, a dough strengthener that interferes with thyroid functions in high doses.
Other Philippine firms whose products had been flagged were Heinz UFC Philippines Inc. and HDR FOODS CORPORATION.
Manufacturers have to “adequately reveal that the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the looks of the violation” to have their products faraway from the Red List.
NutriAsia ensures that its products are compliant with the regulatory requirements within the countries they’re exported to, the corporate said.
“Within the Philippines, food products are legally required to make use of [the food additive] Potassium Iodate, while the US FDA just very recently announced latest requirements around this ingredient,” the statement read. “As such, the discussion around Potassium Iodate today just isn’t a security issue but reasonably a regulatory requirement which varies by country.”
The corporate has since reformulated its products and has gained approval for release within the US market. – Patricia B. Mirasol
