KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — The Health Ministry has identified 21 food products, comprising 16 brands, which were detected to contain scheduled poisons prohibited from being added to food.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this was ascertained following analyses of 849 food products by the Food Safety and Quality Division throughout 2019 to August 2020.

“Legal action has been taken against the manufacturers or distributors of four of the 16 brands of food products which do not comply with the law. However, the results of the investigation conducted on 12 other food product brands found that the company name and address were false or incomplete,” he said in a statement today.

He said that all food sold in the country must comply with the Food Act 1983 and the regulations made thereunder.

Pursuant to Section 13 of the Food Act 1983, those who provide or sell any food that contains any substance which is poisonous, harmful or otherwise injurious to health, commits an offence and shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or both. 

Dr Noor Hisham said all traders, including online traders who still have stocks of the product, were instructed to immediately stop selling and contact the nearest District Health Office to have the products confiscated.

He advised people to be careful when buying food products that may be mixed with prohibited substances, and suggested to those who used the food products in question to seek advice and treatment from health professionals.

“It is the responsibility of the parties involved such as manufacturers, packers, distributors, marketing agents and sellers to ensure that the food products sold comply with relevant regulations,” he said.

Consumers who have any concerns regarding food safety issues can contact the nearest District Health Office or State Health Department or the MoH via the website http://moh.spab.gov.my or the official facebook page of the Food Safety and Quality Division (BKKM) at www.facebook.com / bkkmhq. — Bernama