Badan,” an unregistered food supplement from Indonesia, despite repeated public
health warnings against its sale and consumption.
“Health authorities have twice reminded the public against consuming the
powdered herbal drink Jamu Sehat Badan, but we still find it openly traded in
Quiapo and online,” lamented Thony DIzon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste
Coalition’s Project Protect.
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) first issued an advisory on January 15
this year cautioning the public against consuming the unregistered herbal
drink, which did not pass the FDA standard of safety and quality. A
follow-up advisory was issued by the FDA on July 21 to reiterate the warning it
made six months ago.
Despite the repeated public health notices, the EcoWaste Coalition’s AlerToxic
Patrol on Tuesday managed to buy a box of Jamu Sehat Badan for P350 from a food
shop outside the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila.
The group also expressed concern over the continued promotion of the said
herbal drink in various buy and sell websites. For example, www.olx.ph (formerly
sulit.ph) has 65 Jamu Sehat Badan advertisements as accessed today. Related ads can also be seen at
www.istorya.net.
Olx.ph and other online marketing networks should immediately get rid of those
ads to encourage compliance to the FDA directive and for consumer protection,
the EcoWaste Coalition said.
Manufactured by PJ. Nyior Koneng based in Surabaya, Indonesia , the herbal
drink is publicized as “an alternative
option, especially with the soaring prices of pharmaceutical drugs” that
is “proven safe and without side effects.”
Facebook ads also claim that Jamu Sehat Bada has been “proven effective for
asthma, allergies, rheumatism, arthritis, hypertension, heart disease,
migraine, impotence, ulcers, tumor, fatigue, insomnia, toothache, kidney stone,
stroke, etc.”
“Consumers should be probing and not swallow such product claims hook, line and
sinker. They better heed FDA’s advice than be sorry later,” Dizon said.
To protect the public health, the FDA has instructed distributors, retailers
and the like to discontinue further distribution, sale and use of Jamu Sehat
Badan as it ordered its officers to confiscate the unregistered food
supplement.
-end-
Reference:
http://www.fda.gov.ph/advisories/food/175545-fda-advisory-no-2014-056
http://www.fda.gov.ph/advisories/food/133049-fda-advisory-no-2014-006
https://www.facebook.com/SehatBadanCoffee/posts/132716130199169