FDA urged: Crack whip vs label regulation violations

A consumer group has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against grocery stores for alleged violation of labeling regulations mandated by the Department of Health (DoH) to ensure that consumers are safe and protected.

In a statement, advocacy group Malayang Konsyumer (MK) -- a coalition of advocates to promote and protect consumer welfare and rights -- is urging the FDA to look into complaints it received regarding certain products being sold at a newly established Dali Everyday Grocery which failed to cite the specific names of the manufacturers and importers of products labeled as “Made in China.”

“We have received complaints that products of the said grocery have not complied with the provisions of DoH Circular 2014-0030 or the Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food Products Further Amending Certain Provisions of Administrative Order No. 88-B s. 1984 or the Rules and Regulations Governing the Labeling of Pre- packaged Food Products Distributed in the Philippines,” said MK spokesperson Atty. Simoun Salinas.

He added that Section VI A.5 mandates that “the name and address of the manufacturer, repacker, packer, importer, trader or distributor of the food shall be declared on the label.”

The rule also states that for imported products “the complete name and address of importer and the country of origin shall be declared.”

The DoH Circular, signed by then DoH Secretary Dr. Enrique Ona, states in the rationale for the rules that “with the increasing trade of prepackaged food in the country, its safety must at all times be assured. One effective national food safety and control system is consumer information about the food product through its label.”

It further explains the importance of the complete product labeling as the product label is “the most readily available material to inform the consumer about the product contents, shelf life and traceability, among others.”

“It protects against dishonest or misleading advertising or promotion, and facilitates sound choice to acquire the knowledge necessary to be an informed consumer,” the Health department’s circular states.

Aside from calling the attention of the FDA to the alleged violations, Salinas also inquired as to the status of an unregistered food product being sold in the said stores, the “Dali Foods Lemon Cake.”

Salinas pointed out that in FDA Advisory 2021-0375 or the “Public Health Warning Against the Purchase and Consumption of the Following Unregistered Food Products,” Dali Food Lemon Cake was “listed as unregistered.”

The MK officer asked the FDA “whether this or other products of Dali have been registered, and whether there is a variance in terms of the period within which product registrations are approved by the Office, as compared to other packaged food products as well.”