Ban lifted on some tea products

by Phanida
Thursday, 09 July 2009 19:33

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) –Some tea products, which were banned earlier, were given clearance certificate by Burma’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was learnt on Thursday.

“We have given clearance certificates to about 10 brands so far. They are famous brands sold in big stores. The certificate numbers are printed on the packets of these products. We inspect them only when they ask us to do so,” Dr. Kyaw Linn, Director of the FDA told Mizzima.

The brands that have so far received clearance certificates include Mandalay’s popular ‘Ahyee Taung’, ‘Shwe Toke’, ‘Yee Mon’ and Rangoon’s ‘Yuzana’, ‘Pin Pyo Ywet Nuu’.

The clearance certificates to the brands come after they were banned for two months by the Health Ministry. The ministry banned the sales of over 100 brands of tea leaf products that were found to contain the chemical dye, ‘Auramine O’.

The FDA said, while inspecting the tea leaf products, officials not only check for chemical dyes, but also check the condition of sanitation and hygiene during production and among the workers including the working environment and finally sales.

An official in the Rangoon branch of the popular ‘Ahyee Taung’ tea leaf production company, which received the clearance certificate on June 9, said they were only able to send their products to the market after receiving the certificate numbers printed on the packets.

“FDA issued clearance certificates after inspecting the production process at our Mandalay production unit. We have started selling our products in the market since the beginning of this month. We have to print the certificate number on our packets. I think the certificate number is Sa 1/09-006,” the official told Mizzima.

The sales centres of another banned tea product ‘Shwe Pyi Tan’ has reportedly requested for certification from the FDA but is yet to receive it, resulting in a temporary halt in the sales, an official of the ‘Shwe Pyi Tan’ shop in Rangoon told Mizzima.

“We haven’t got the certificate, but they said they would give it to us. We requested permission a long time ago. So, we are not yet selling our tea leaf products in the market. We dare not sell our product without FDA’s permission and clearance,” the official said.

The chemical dyes, which are used for production of fabrics, wool, silk and hides, were reportedly found in some of the domestic food products. According to the FDA, the chemicals can cause liver and kidney diseases and cancer in the long run. Besides it also hampers body growth.

The FDA also said, besides inspecting the tea products, it will also give permission and chemical free clearance certificates to other products such as black tea, fish paste and chilli powder, which were banned after detection that it contained chemical dyes.