National Bureau of Investigation operatives yesterday raided a grocery store for allegedly selling smuggled packs of banned “cancerous” sweeteners in Bacolod City yesterday.

NBI special investigator Cyrus Alusan said they raided Kioks grocery store at the Libertad public market, at about 10:30 a.m. yesterday, after an informant told them that the store has been selling magic sugar or sodium cyclamate.

Magic sugar is a concentrated acid-based sweetener used as replacement for sugar that has been deemed to contain “highly-cancerous” substances based on studies by the Departments of Health and of Trade and Industry, Alusan said.

He added that the product, which comes from Indonesia , has been banned in the country since the 1970's as it is very hazardous for public consumption.

Seventy-seven packs of the prohibited product worth P20 each were seized by the operatives, the television report said.

The NBI will file charges for violations of the Consumer's Act and the Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act, the report also said.*PP

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