Millers ask BFAD to test imported flour from China

Local wheat flour millers have asked the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to look into the entry of Chinese wheat flour that do not comply with the country’s fortification law and endangering the country’s efforts to eradicate the lack of  vitamin A and iron among the country’s malnourished children.

"The flour milling industry is concerned that these violations, if unchecked, could jeopardize the fortification program and lay to waste the efforts and initiatives your office has taken to push this worthy program into fruition," Ric M. Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (PAFMIL) wrote BFAD Director Leticia Barbara Gutierrez.

Pinca submitted to BFAD samples of Chinese flour which were found containing much lower levels of vitamin A and iron.

Republic Act 8976, also known as the Fortification Law, mandates that wheat flour should be fortified with vitamin A and iron at minimum levels of three parts per million (ppm) and 70 ppm respectively.   The maximum levels of fortification are 6.5 ppm for vitamin A and 105 ppm for iron.   Other products that require fortification are rice, salt and cooking oil.

Pinca said PAFMIL had the same imported flour tested by a private analytical laboratory and found these to be severely below the standards set by the government.

One flour brand only has the equivalent of 48 ppm of iron and 0.253 ppm of vitamin A; while the other brand contains 31 ppm of iron.   Vitamin A was not even detected on the second Chinese flour brand, he added.

BFAD, should verify these findings, Pinca said, adding that these products should be withdrawn from the market and further importations be disallowed if BFAD finds these to be violating government standards.

He explained that the Fortification Law establishes the addition of vitamin A, iron and other micronutrients to various processed food products as the government’s response to micronutrient deficiency among the country’s poorer sectors. Micronutrients are essential nutrients that are needed by the body in very small quantities. These are measured in milligrams and micrograms.

The law, according to Pinca, directs the Department of Health through BFAD to monitor the program, formulate the standard operating procedures and impose sanctions on violators of the program. All importers, traders and manufacturers of wheat flour are mandated to sell only fortified flour.

These sanctions include product recall or withdrawal from the market; suspension of product registration and fine ranging from P300,000 to P1 million.