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House passes bill to regulate manufacturing of lime
The House of Representatives last week passed a Senate bill to include lime under Pure Food and Drug Control Act, a policy move intended to regulate the manufacturing of lime, also known as afok or bweesch.
Senate Bill 19-97, authored by Sen. Teresita A. Santos (R-Rota), passed unanimously among all House members present during their session last Thursday.
Santos’ bill defines afok or bweesch as a “substance created from burning limestone in rock form that transforms into powder form and can be mixed with a liquid to form slake lime mainly sold and used for the purpose of chewing betel nut.” Afok is the Chamorro term for lime and bweesch is the Carolinian term.
The bill adds “afok or bweesch” a section in current law that prohibits a person from selling any food, drug, cosmetic, or device that is not represented by label.
For lime, the bill mandates that its label have the name of the manufacturing company, distributor, place of manufacture, ingredients, and a warning label that states: “This product may be linked to oral cancer,” among other requirements.
Lime must be properly packaged in a container with an unbroken seal cover, per the bill.
The bill also requires those who manufacture, prepare, preserve, package, or store lime for sale to have a food handler certificate and a sanitary permit.
“The Commonwealth Legislature recognizes that the prevalence of oral cancer in the CNMI has increased substantially,” Santos’ bill states. “Although afok or bweesch may not have a direct link to oral cancer or other deadly diseases, the Commonwealth Legislature finds that there is a great need to protect the people until complete studies are done pertaining to afok or bweesch and its link to oral cancer.”
