Arakan State FDA flags street meat as concern

By DMG 29 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
29 March 2022, Sittwe

The Arakan State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against consuming fried meatballs and sausage sold by unlicensed street vendors in cities and towns across Arakan State.

Meatballs and sausage sold at roadside food stalls in Arakan State have high levels of benzoic acid and are not safe for consumption, according to the state FDA.

Children, pregnant women and senior citizens are particularly at risk of symptoms including itchy eyes and skin, headache, stomach pains and vomiting from consumption of benzoic-laden meatballs and sausage, and can suffer from stomach, kidney and liver damage and develop cancer in the long-term, the regulator said.

The FDA has warned street vendors to stop selling applicable fried meatballs and sausage, and has threatened them with a K30,000 fine and legal action under the National Food Law, said assistant director Dr. Naing Naing Lin of the Arakan State FDA.

“We have made an inspection on the ground, and we found many vendors selling fried meatballs and sausage. We have warned them, and they have signed that they would stop selling. We will take legal action as necessary under Section 28 of the National Food Law if they continue to sell foods that are harmful to consumers,” said the assistant director.

Dr. Naing Naing Lin acknowledged that the state FDA is understaffed when it comes to thoroughly inspecting street vendors in all 17 Arakan State townships. The state FDA has only carried out inspections in Sittwe and Thandwe districts, and has notified the relevant departments in other Arakan State townships about its warning to street vendors, he added.

“We used to eat those things. But I am not eating them anymore, after I learnt that it is toxic. But it is a popular street food and authorities should effectively prohibit them,” said Sittwe resident Ma Moe Moe.

Under the amended FDA law, food packages must bear labels that detail ingredients in the Burmese language. Foods that do not have such labels are not FDA-approved, the FDA has warned.