“Be careful who you trust, even salt looks like sugar” – Anonymous
Sometime last year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Advisory No. 2024-1607 warning the public against purchasing and consuming Alter Trade’s “Masco Rocks” because it is unregistered. Alter Trade’s masco rock has no Certificate of Product Registration (CPR), which means it has not undergone the agency’s evaluation for safety and quality.
Locally produced products directly affecting health and wellness must undergo a certification process, much more if the product is for export, which has grave implications not only to the exporter, in this case, Alter Trade, but also the government. The FDA Act of 2009 is very explicit, “manufacturing, importing, selling, distributing or promoting unregistered food products is prohibited.” And, consuming these products poses health risks.
FAIR TRADE OR NOT, RULES ARE RULES
This opens the Pandora’s Box of Alter Trade as an alternative economic organization with mascobado as its flagship product, ironically exported for four decades to date. A self-declared fair trade and organic organization, Alter Trade has been hounded by controversy in the last few years, especially its mascobado.
Regardless of its noble purpose Alter Trade has to play by the rules. Without certification it renders its product illegal. The masco rock is the saved remnants of mascobado it sells domestically and exported in Asia and Europe. This means that the masco rock is the bigger granules of mascobado as leftover and whatever the process of mascobado went through. Its content is the same as the masco rock – branded by FDA as prohibited. This policy exempts no one and without excuses.
NEGLECT AND DISREGARD
Alter Trade’s mission to uplift marginalized producers, particularly sugar farmers, by marketing their products, epitomizes ethical production and consumption process towards solidarity. A principle adhered by Alter Trade and its consumers at all times that desires not to be excluded from the market. Despite its trademark as an organic and fair trade organization the government sees it as a simple and business entity required to fulfill its regulatory duties. Thus, the FDA warning and advisory is a crucial component in its existence which means social responsibility must be matched with legal and regulatory compliances.
In this case, Alter Trade exhibited complete neglect in its regulatory responsibility required by the government. This disregard resulting in non-compliance now triggers more questions that may lead to open its Pandora’s Box which to many is already an “open-secret” especially among civil society partners and government agencies directly handling its regulatory responsibilities.
This “open secret” directly relates to its mascobado production which masco rock is a by-product. This now puts Alter Trade to a higher level of tension at the same time challenge in which it is compelled to justify by integrating grassroots partners’ products into formal regulatory and legal frameworks as it continues to realize its mission. However, it is public knowledge that many of its partner producers in the sugarcane production have severed ties with Alter Trade because of the alleged malpractice in mascobado production.
LEGACY TO DISASTER?
A blitzkrieg in the 1990s, Alter Trade benefited from the sugar crisis. This so-called “alternative” trading organization rode on the hapless condition of the sugar workers during the industry’s crisis putting them in the quagmire of poverty. It gained momentum and committed to alleviate the countryside from hunger, joblessness, malnutrition among children caused by the plummeting global sugar prices. As a result there was “political upheaval” and insurgency flourished and recruitment of youth, students and basic sectors to the underground movement was swift and massive.
For Alter Trade, this was to pursue the so called “alternative economic society” in Negros and evolved to what it is today as a fair trade and organic organization yet on the verge of losing its prestige and reputation because of its own doing. Worse, its top management, headed by Norma Mugar stubbornly refuses to recognize the problem, resulting in the failure to undertake major corrective measures.
Alter Trade’s masco rocks non-certification is a major lesson, especially to the top management, because the most important element of its existence including its relationship to the market which is trust, slowly erodes. It was entrusted by the customers and the government because of its embodiment to the plight of the sugar workers and small producers. However, its full adherence and compliance to legal and regulatory responsibilities was completely disregarded.
One good unsolicited thought for Alter Trade: stop the rhetoric and recognize its failure if it wishes to continue to embody the sugar workers, marginalized farmers and small producers.
Continuing to do so is unethical influence to its personnel and betrayal of the partners’ trust.*
