15 food products from Taiwan Banned in Singapore, Malaysia & the Philippines; contains Maleic Acid- FDA

After the Warning advisory from Singapore and Malaysia, the Philippines followed Banning the Taiwan Products that contains HO2CCHCHCO2H which is said to harm human's kidney.

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines banned 15 food products from Taiwan as they contain maleic acid with a chemical symbol HO2CCHCHCO2H.

In an advisory, the FDA said that aside from not being registered in the country, the 15 food products have been found to pose health hazards due to the presence of maleic acid.

"Maleic acid is NOT an approved additive for manufacturing food products," said the FDA.

The 15 Banned products from Taiwan were identified as the following:

1. Hong Tapioca Starch
2. Redman Black Tapioca Pearl
3. Sun Right Indica Rice Powder
4. Top 1 Tapioca Pearls
5. Tea World Tapioca Starch Ball
6. Unbranded Starch Ball
7. Ding Long Tapioca Pearls
8. Sun Chi Noodles
9. T & M Resources Corp Tapioca Pearls
10. Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (White)
11. Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (Black)
12. Full Free Green Tea Tapioca Ball
13. Full Free Yam Tapioca Ball
14. Long Kow Vegetarian Instant Rice Noodle
15. Long Kow Rice Noodle with Thick Soup.

The FDA said the long-term consumption of high levels of maleic acid could harm one's kidney.

The health agency said the ban is being imposed in accordance to the provisions of the Consumer Act of the Philippines, and the FDA Act of 2009, which prohibits the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising, or sponsorship of any health product that is adulterated, unregistered or misbranded, products contaminated with unsafe substances.

"Products contaminated with maleic acid are, thus, considered illegal," said the FDA.

The ban shall remain unless the concerned food products are tested for safety by the FDA on the presence/absence of maleic acid to the said products and are subsequently registered.

"The FDA shall continue to monitor the entry of food products from Taiwan in the Philippine market," assured the FDA.

The ban comes amid the tension between Taiwan and the Philippines spurred by the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in the disputed waters off Batanes last May 9 by the Philippine Coast Guard. (HDT/Sunnex)

With report from Sun Star, Channel New Asia & Silliyal

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Philippine Inventors and Scientist Decries for NO Support from the Government

Francisco Pagayon meets fellow inventors.

Filipino inventors showcase products in Quezon City shop

Filipino inventors have formed a cooperative and set up a showroom in Quezon City to put on display their best inventions and introduce them in the market.

Francisco Pagayon, president of the Filipino Inventors' Society, says the group established the Filipino Inventors' Society Producer Cooperative to serve as the business arm of the organization.

FISPC then set up a showroom at the ground floor of Delta Building at the corner of West Avenue and Quezon Avenue to put on public display many useful local inventions in a show of Filipino ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

The showroom houses various innovative products that are designed for fuel and energy conservation, environmental protection, water purification, alternative medicine, personal care and recreation.

It showcases the Filipino genius as it contains inventions on the following:

• Police patrol weaponry
• Car care
• Home protection
• Agriculture
• Food and health supplements, and many others that could not be found elsewhere, says Pagayon.

Among these inventions are solar-powered postharvest facilities and converters, anti-car napping computerized security system, Anos firetrucks for narrow streets in major cities, fire blanket, water-fueled flashlights, green engine oil products, anti-fungal soap, organic medicine and other organic products.

Pagayon says the showroom is in response to the lack of government support and official indifference to the plight of many inventors, who have been frustrated by their inability to find a niche in the local market and obtain commercial success for their inventions.

An inventor himself, Pagayon has mass produced the multipurpose Probaton truncheon for Filipino police personnel and village watchmen.

He says the inventors grouped themselves together amid the lack of state support and indifference to Filipino inventors.

"While inventors in other countries are held in awe and respect by their governments to obtain state support and patronage, Filipino inventors have to live with the frustration for the lack of support," Pagayon says.

"They hardly enjoy state subsidy, tax or credit incentives, and patronage for their invention products," he says.

Pagayon and other inventors then opted to find ways to alleviate the plight of many inventors. His answer: entrepreneurship.

FIS, established on Oct. 14, 1943, is the oldest non-government group of Filipino inventors, researchers, technologists, scientists, industrial designers and engineers.

The group aims to generate, produce and market indigenous inventions and technologies to help attain economic progress and industrial prosperity for the country.

With report from Manila Standard Today

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