http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...418752/1/.html


http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_356093.html

Snack tainted with chemical dye
YANGON - MYANMAR'S Health Ministry on Sunday banned the sale of 57
brands of pickled tea leaves, a popular snack food found to contain a
harmful chemical dye.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper announced the ban, saying
the chemical Auramine O was detected in the products as part of an
ongoing investigation after 43 brands of the snack were banned earlier
this month.

The ministry said Auramine O is commonly used to dye cotton, wool,
silk and leather and that prolonged consumption of it in food could be
harmful to the liver and kidneys and cause cancer.

Pickled tea leaves are widely eaten in Myanmar as a snack with
condiments such as fried garlic, peanuts and dried shrimp or with
curries and are commonly served at social occasions. The dye gave the
snack a brighter yellow color.

'I don't know what's safe and what's not,' said Khin Mar, a 65-year-
old housewife in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. 'I'm worried that we
are eating poison everyday.'

A doctor from the Health Ministry's Food and Drug Administration said
chemical dyes are widely used in Myanmar in items such as bamboo
shoots, chili powder, dried meat, soft drinks, certain beans, popular
snacks such as preserved fruits and sometimes in raw fish and seafood.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
speak to the media.

The production or sale of harmful food is punishable by up to three
years in prison, but enforcement is not strict, the doctor said.

A news report last week said 105 food producers have received warnings
about using harmful chemicals.

'The problem we're facing now is worse than the impact of melamine-
tainted milk powder because chemical dye is used in a lot of food in
Myanmar, including junk food and snacks eaten at schools by young
children,' said Than Htut Aung, a publisher and editor of several news
weeklies in Myanmar.

He called on authorities to take action against those who violate food
safety laws. -- AP