MANILA, Philippines?Manila policemen on Wednesday vowed to crack down on vendors selling or using a substance called ?magic sugar? as food sweetener.

Citing the hazard it poses to one?s health, Supt. Nelson Yabut, chief of Manila Police District Station 3, ordered his men to check on vendors in the Sta. Cruz area and go after those involved in the illegal sale and use of the substance.

Yabut said they arrested the other day a vendor from whom they seized 30 grams of ?magic sugar.?

Public safety

He said the vendor admitted using the artificial sweetener for the cold drinks he sells.

?Although we understand that these vendors are trying to make a living, we cannot tolerate this illegal practice,? Yabut said. ?We should always put the safety and well-being of the public first.?

The police official also warned vendors caught using or selling ?magic sugar? that they could be charged with the violation of Republic Act 3720, or the Foods, Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics Act.

Warning

Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral earlier cautioned the public against the use of ?magic sugar? that is allegedly smuggled into the country.

She described the substance as an artificial sugar, also called sodium cyclamate, that could cause dizziness, vomiting and stomach ache.

?It is banned in the United States because some studies show that it increases the incidence of some types of cancer, such as urinary bladder cancer,? Cabral added.

In an advisory, the Bureau of Food and Drugs said ?magic sugar, as a food sweetener, is prohibited due to evidence of carcinogenicity in animals.?