Inspecting many times in Mandalay’s Zay Cho market, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is carrying out its activities to be able to announce the market as a chemical dye-free zone in 2018.
The department has drawn up a plan in 2015 and 2016 to ensure chemical dye-free foods for consumers, and the collaborative team that includes FDA, Public Health Department, Consumer Affairs Department and Mandalay City Development Committee inspected food at all markets in Mandalay, according to FDA in Mandalay.
“Since November, we’ve found fewer foods treated with chemical dye than before. It is significantly decreasing. We inspected more than 700 items in November and found that four or five items only contain chemical dye. So, we believe that foods will become free of chemical dye by the end of this year. Then, we should announce that Zay Cho market is a chemical dye-free market in 2018,†said Dr Kyaw Kyaw, deputy director of FDA in Mandalay.
FDA will grant a certificate stating that the shop is selling dye-free foods; the certificates will be issued in the end of December.
“If we found that a shop is free of chemical dye contained food in all the inspections that we conduct, we will give that shop the certificate stating that it’s a chemical dye-free shop,†he added.
Shops are now trying to sell foods without chemical dye and consumers can depend on the shops selling food that is free of chemical dye.
“I am glad to hear the FDA is granting certificates declaring shops are free of chemically dye. We are also trying to sell dye-free foods to get the certificate,†said Daw Khin Mar Lwin, owner of Phyo Hein fish-paste shop.
The FDA has created criteria for dealing with shops that sell food with chemical dye. If a shop is found for the first time selling chemical dye contained food, they are warned. The second time, they are fined K50, 000. The third time, action will be taken against the shop owners to close their shop for a period of one month.
The FDA will continue to inspect shops that are granted the certificate, more importantly certificates will be revoked if a shop is found that they are selling chemical dye contained foods again._Su Su Shi
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
