EDITORIAL - How safe is our food?

It’s been a week since Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas warned the public about 22 brands of imported sauces and condiments that may contain a carcinogenic substance. Roxas said the brands, whose pro-ducts include oyster sauce and soy sauce, have been banned in Britain and Malaysia for containing a chemical contaminant called 3-MCPD, or 3-monochloropropane-1, 2-diol. The substance has been found to cause cancer when fed in large amounts to laboratory animals throughout their life.

After Roxas made the announcement, one of the blacklisted brands took out advertisements clarifying that since late 1999 its products have passed scrutiny by the UK Food Standards Agency. The Department of Health could only remind consumers not to panic as it studied the issue. A report yesterday said the Bureau of Food and Drugs has advised the public that any product that has passed BFAD scrutiny is safe for human consumption. Are all 21 brands included? Do the products have 3-MCPD, and are the studies linking this substance to cancer in humans inconclusive?

The answers will probably have to come from abroad. It will take more than assurances from Philippine health officials to allay public fears about food and other substances that we ingest, including health drinks and medicine. Even when the BFAD issues a belated warning, such as in the case of the "noni" juice craze, the nature of the health risk can be unclear. Detection of hazardous substances in food can be so slow that by the time a government warning is issued, the public may have already consumed enough for the substance to cause damage to health.

It’s not just the public that suffers when the BFAD takes its time, but also the manufacturers and distributors of products suspected to pose health risks. Even if those 21 brands aren’t pulled out of supermarket shelves, you can be sure consumers are shying away from the blacklisted products. How long will the status of their products remain in limbo?

What about other foods, particularly processed products? Does the BFAD have the capability to guarantee the safety of all food products in supermarkets? Instead of worrying and awaiting word from the BFAD, many Filipinos are just chowing down. If they don’t land in a hospital, the food is fit for consumption.