Yangon factories producing coffee for major brands like Premier, Sunday, Gold Roast and Super are under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration over claims their powdered mixes were made partly from ground coconut shells.
A joint committee made up of the FDA, Consumer Protection Association, Consumers Union and City Development Committee, visited 11 factories in the city’s industrial zones on Saturday, the Irrawaddy reported.
“Rumor has it the coffee factories were mixing powder made from coconut shells and tamarind seeds into their instant coffee mix,” Zin Zin New, director of the FDA’s Yangon office, said.
“Our teams collected traces of raw ingredients from the factories and had them sent to a laboratory to see if they contain any improper substances.”
But some argued that the rumors were unlikely to be true, saying that grinding shells and seeds into coffee mix was more expensive than the normal process.
Maung Maung, secretary of the Myanmar Consumers Union, said: “The cost of turning coconut shells and tamarind seeds into powder similar to that of instant coffee powder is more expensive than the typical mixing process.”
Results are expected within the next week.
