KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Schoolchildren are being tempted to buy sweets which resemble cigarettes, leaving enraged parents fearing this could encourage their young ones to pick up smoking.

Malay Mail visited Taman Melawati yesterday and found “smoke candy”, packaged in boxes similar to major tobacco brands, being sold by a petty trader outside SK Taman Melawati.

Each box, sold at RM1 each, contains five “smoke candy” sticks which look like cigarettes and were prominently displayed in a jar.

The petty trader was oblivious of the fact the product could encourage children to smoke.

“It’s a new product. It came from my supplier, who is based in Setapak,” the petty trader said, without disclosing her name.

Among the brands displayed were Marlboro, Camel, Pally and HOKT. The sweets were made in Guangdong, China, and details on the packaging were printed in Mandarin.

Many of the primary school’s students were seen flocking the stall right after school ended but left soon after because of the heavy rain.

We later visited a wholesale shop selling confectionery and snacks in Petaling Jaya. The shop owner said he had been selling the sweets “for several months”.

A carton of 20 boxes was sold at RM5.80.

“This was around during my time but it was subsequently banned. Now it’s back on the market,” said the shop owner in his 50s.

“Sales have picked up recently as there has been a steady demand.”

Parents were outraged, saying this could lure their children to pick up smoking.

A parent, who did not wish to be named said: “This is misleading and children will think smoking is fine. Isn’t it against the law to sell such products in the country?”

Another parent said: “How can such products enter the country if they are not labelled properly and are clearly misleading consumers?”

They also said school authorities should be more vigilant of traders setting up stalls outside their compound.

“What is the candy made of? We don’t even know the contents and it could be detrimental to our children’s health,” the parent added.

Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said such candy should be banned.

“Why pack it in such a way? Is there a hidden agenda?” she asked.

“This will only lead to schoolchildren picking up smoking. It is also misleading to the general public.”

Noor Azimah said the RM1 price tag for each box was evident that unscrupulous traders were targeting children.

“We don’t even know what the contents of the candy are. It could be bad for our children. Also, schools should be free from such unhealthy food items,” she said.