Condiments firm Tentay to seek clarification of FDA finding on vinegar

Tentay Food Sauces Inc., the manufacturer of three vinegar variants that were found by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to contain synthetic acetic acid, said Tuesday that it will coordinate with the authorities.

"We will discuss and clarify this issue with [FDA] this week," Tentay Food Sauces Inc. said in a statement reported on State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.

Five out of the 39 brands of vinegar tested by the FDA were found to contain synthetic acetic acid and must not be sold to the public, according to an advisory.

The agency, however, clarified that the listed vinegar variants do not pose a safety issue or any health risk to consumers despite being deemed as substandard.

"The presence of synthetic acetic acid merely represents that the vinegar did not undergo fermentation, either through a slow process, quick process, or submerged culture process which is used for commercial vinegar production," it said.

The FDA has replaced the BFAD after the enactment of R.A. 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Act of 2009. —Dona Magsino/NB, GMA News