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FDA: Synthetic acetic acid not a health hazard


The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday reiterated that the presence of synthetic acetic acid in vinegar is not a health hazard, despite its recent advisory on five vinegar brands containing such.

"Wala pong health hazard ang synthetic acetic acid, in fact, vinegar dito po sa Pilipinas is classified as [a] low-risk product," FDA officer-in-charge Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said in an interview in State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.

"Ang synthetic acetic acid, wala naman po siyang pinagkaiba sa natural acetic acid, 'yun lang the way it was produced pero 'yung lasa, pareho din po at ang effect pareho din po," he added.

Domingo clarified that the FDA merely prohibits the selling of vinegar with synthetic acetic acid because it did not follow the production standards set by the agency. Hence, it is already considered an "adulterated" product.

"In some countries pag po synthetic acetic acid ang binebenta, nakasulat lang po sa bote synthetic vinegar," he said.

"Sa Pilipinas po, sa pamantayan ng DOH [Department of Health] saka ng FDA, ang vinegar ay pwede lamang pong gawin from natural process. Hindi po tayo pwedeng mag-register dito sa Pilipinas ng synthetic vinegar," he added.

On the other hand, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) previously said that synthetic acetic acid is not advisable for consumption.

"If you consume this because it is synthetic material in the process of synthesis, there are impurities na nandoon, and these impurities, according to mga journals, these can cause cancer and degenerative diseases like Parkinson's," said Raymond Sucgang, head of Nuclear Analytical Technic Application Section.

A further deliberation of experts, however, concluded that there was no reason to directly imply that synthetic acetic acid is a carcinogen. —Dona Magsino/LDF, GMA News

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