The Myanmar Food and Drug Administration is considering quick response codes to help improve product clarity.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently in discussions with food producers with regards to the use of Myanmar FDA QR codes to help verify approval.
FDA Director General hopes to use the quick response codes to make it easier to understand products.
The Myanmar FDA QR codes will be helpful by making it possible scan to obtain the department’s product approval details. According to Dr. Than Htut, the organization’s director general, only 90 percent of food manufacturers have added an ingredients list on their product packaging. This means that one in ten manufacturers release products without details regarding what they contain.
Moreover, 75 percent of manufacturers print factory addresses on their product packaging. Furthermore, only 25 percent of food manufacturers actually mention that their products are FDA approved, said Dr. Than Htut.
While many manufacturers do follow the regulations, the Myanmar FDA QR codes will boost that number.
“Although many manufacturers have obeyed our rules, some still fail to live up to our expectation,” explained the director general.
Myanmar FDA data showed that the organization has already taken import licenses away from 1,008 potentially hazardous food products since it first began post-market surveillance. The goal is to continue to spot the problems before they have the chance to cause any harm, but also to deter manufacturers from failing to comply in the first place.
To obtain the QR codes, manufacturers must follow the regulations that are already in place but that not all of them routinely follow. To do this, manufacturers need to apply for a license. A part of that process involves an inspection from FDA officials. From there, the manufacturers must consider the criticisms the organization and make changes in order to ensure compliance with the regulations based on that guidance.
In order to earn the Myanmar FDA QR codes, a product label must include the name and address of the manufacturing company, contact phone numbers, the manufacturing date and serial number, the product’s expiration date, as well as the FDA license number and certification number.
