Gilbert Layese, director of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS), said that soy sauce has been banned from EU markets due to the presence of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), a chemical that forms when soy sauce is made through acid hydrolysis.
The contaminant is considered a health hazard by the European Food Safety Agency.
"We have met with industry and told them that if we cannot meet requirements, eventually all our products could get a bad name," Layese told AP-Foodtechnology.com.
He said that manufacturers should either use natural fermentation to produce the soy sauce or else upgrade their facilities so that they can remove impurities and carry out more stringent quality control.
Exports of soy sauce are relatively minor compared with domestic consumption but the Philippines is keen to grow all agricultural exports.
"We don't want to be known as a country of inferior products. That's why we are meeting with all the stakeholders and making sure we comply with quality requirements," added Layese.
Exports from the Philippines have been picking up in recent months, thanks to strong demand from China and a more stable economy.
After electronics, its biggest export, agriculture is the next most important sector, with coconut and other fruits steadily growing.
Overall exports climbed 13.8 per cent during the first quarter compared with a year earlier, and March's annual rise of 26 per cent was the biggest for a single month in 6.5 years.
