Et tu, SM?
The mall giant became the butt of jokes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public yesterday against buying its SM Bonus sugar products — both the brown and “refined” variants — that are being sold in its supermarkets.
The FDA, which has been regularly going after unlicensed products, also warned Filipino shoppers “not to purchase and consume” other goods such as Melvan Ginger Brew with Turmeric and Lemongrass, Sweet Valley Freeze Dried Cranberry Coated with Milk Chocolate, and Lorenzo Farm Dark Chocolate.
Read: Pinoys fume after FDA warns against eating ‘unregistered’ Reno Liver Spread
In a statement, the FDA said that these products “are not registered, and no corresponding Certificates of Product Registration (CPR) have been issued.”
It added that based on Republic Act No. 9711, also known as the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009, “the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising or sponsorship of health products without the proper authorization is prohibited” in the Philippines.
The agency added that it could not assure the public that these products are safe to eat and warned business establishments that they should refrain from selling or advertising these brands until they are registered with the government.
In September, the FDA incensed some Filipinos after it warned them from purchasing the then-unregistered Reno Liver Spread, a 50-year-old brand that has long been a staple in local households. The spread’s maker had apologized for their transgression, and Reno is now back on supermarket shelves after it obtained a government license.
