FDA flags popular Philippine sauces for 'harmful' additives, causing supply concerns on Guam
From sweet spaghetti sauces to lechon sauces, some popular Philippine condiments have been flagged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for "harmful food additives" and this has been causing supply concerns on Guam, where a large portion of the population relies on these cooking products.
Some distributors and restaurant representatives interviewed on Monday said the flagged products include Jufran Banana Sauce, UFC Sweet Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce and Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce, beloved Filipino branded products that they said could no longer be brought to Guam.
According to FDA's Import Alert (99-45) on Oct. 25, 2024, products containing ingredients such as BHA and potassium iodate are deemed "harmful food additives."
It's not an outright ban but the products will be flagged at the border for further review.
"When [clients] do ask for these very specific products, we do have to inform them that we cannot bring it in anymore," Jay Agabao, manager of Sky Guam Distributors Inc., told the Pacific Daily News.
Sky Guam is a family-owned corporation, which distributes both food and non-food products from the Philippines, the U.S., Taiwan, and Indonesia, to Guam.
Despite the concerns he has heard from his company's clients, they still have to follow rules and regulations.
"As distributors, and I'm sure other distributors would share this, we can't bring it in because we have to be compliant with all the different governing agencies that apply here. We have to comply with their rules and regulations," Agabao said.
However, as a Filipino on Guam, he knows the difficulty in obtaining certain food items because Guam relies heavily on imported goods.
"The thing is, with Guam, we are a non productive pilot. We do not manufacture, we don't have any major industries that manufacture certain types of food items. A lot of our food items, they're all imported from all over the place, from the U.S., Asia, and the Philippines," Agabao said.
He also shared his belief that there needs to be change in the regulations as Guam relies heavily on imported food items to bring these items back to the island.
"I think that these regulations need to change and they need to be updated, so that way we can bring in these products, so that we could support not just the Filipino community here on Guam, but everyone that consumes these products," Agabao said.
Impact on restaurants, stores
The new FDA restrictions are affecting local restaurants and stores, including Ben and Yan's BBQ Place and Ben and Yan's Mini Mart, another family-owned establishment.
Neil Espino, the restaurant's manager, on Monday expressed his frustration over how these restrictions have impacted their sales and operations.
"It's definitely frustrating, and it really takes a big hit on the products," Espino said. "I don't take it away from [the FDA] to do the job that they're doing. It's just, we need a better understanding as to why. For years, these were brought in, why only now? To me, that's just my opinion on things."
Espino said Ben and Yan's is now trying to adapt by sourcing local or stateside-approved alternatives.
"We just try to cope with the current situation," Espino said. "I hope it doesn't change much of the taste of what we cook but it's just from here on out, it's really some trial-and-error kind of thing."
The following items will no longer be available, according to the FDA import alert:
