By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, March 27: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong wants the Ministry of Health (KKM) to look into a case brought to her attention by a complainant who suspected that the expiry date for a Vitamin C brand purchased from a local shop here had been allegedly tampered with.
According to Yong, the complainant’s family, who are regular consumers of the supplement, encountered a concerning situation when they purchased the products from a local shop here and discovered the products had apparently expired with signs of allegedly tampering, with new expiry dates placed over the original expiry dates engraved on the boxes and tubes.
Taking advantage of a ‘buy one, get one free’ promotion, the complainant’s son bought three sets totaling RM249 on March 23, 2024.
The next day, upon opening a box, the complainant noticed that under the sticker was the stamp of the original expiry date of Feb 26, 2024, which had been covered by a new expiry date of Feb 26, 2025.
“The complainant intends to bring this matter to the KKM. I will assist them in filing an official complaint with KKM, and hopefully KKM will initiate an investigation and notify the public of the outcome.
“The public has the right to know whether such products can still be sold, even if their shelf life has already been extended.
“Is it allowed under our laws, rules, and regulations? And whether this product is still considered safe for consumption, or whether its effectiveness will decrease because it has passed its original shelf life,” Yong asserted.
She made the remarks during a press conference held today at the Democratic Action Party (DAP) headquarters here.
“The tube does have a spiral cap that acts as a moisture absorber. After extending the shelf life for another year, will this moisture absorber still be effective? I’m concerned that once it has completely absorbed the moisture, the contents inside will become moist and susceptible to fungus or other problems.
“I hope that once the complaint is filed, KKM will thoroughly investigate the matter, not limiting their investigation to just the local shop here, but extending it to the entire market,” Yong added. — DayakDaily
