Myanmar: All food products must have labels: FDA

• May 23, 2017

All local food products have to be labeled to ensure quality and safety, according to officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the FDA, producers and those found selling food products without labels would face action starting from the end of June.

The FDA had announced that due to safety considerations, all local food manufacturers need to label their products by the end of March, failing which action will be taken against them.

However, it postponed the date to end of June as owners requested time to prepare for the labeling exercise.

Dr Tun Lin Aung, deputy director of FDA, said, “We have already given a three-month grace period. If a product is found without a label in the market, the manufacturers will face action starting in July.”

“Owners should provide information about their products on the label. They should put the required information on the labels so that customers will know what goes into it,” he said last week.

Daw Thida San, from Lanmadaw township, Yangon, said, “I always look at the expiry date of packaged foods. If the date is very close to the expiry date, I will not buy it. Even though we know that not all foods are safe, sometimes we have no choice. If the FDA or authorities could keep a check to ensure food safety, it is good for the consumers.”

“If products without labels are found in the market, manufacturers will be punished either by administrative action or under the National Food Law,” said Dr Okka Phyo, assistant director at the FDA.

“More awareness is needed in the community,” he added.

“First time offenders will be punished by an administrative action like a market recall of the product. Subsequent offenders will be punished by a fine or with a jail term or both,” he said.

“We can trace the source of products by looking at the labels. From this, we will able to monitor unsafe products,” he said.

“The labels must contain the address of the manufacturer/factory, telephone numbers, the manufacturing and expiry dates, FDA registration number, production number, and product license,” Dr Okka Phyo said.

The role of the FDA is to ensure the safety and quality of food, drugs, medicines and cosmetics in the country and the FDA is making pre-market and post-market spot checks to monitor the quality of goods.

FDA officials said that their department has planned to do surprise checks in the markets across the country.

Source: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/yangon/26100-all-food-products-must-have-labels-fda.html