Mum claims fake formula also sold in Melaka, Selangor

KUALA LUMPUR: A mother of three was shocked when she discovered the usual milk powder that she buys for her 7-week-old baby in Johor was the exact fake infant formula seized by the Johor Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry.

The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Tan, said her husband bought the counterfeit Enfalac A+ Step 1 (1.8kg boxes with three packs in each box) last Friday from a Chinese medical hall.

“We usually purchase the 900g version of the milk formula, but last Friday, my husband bought the 1.8kg refill pack.

“When he emptied out the contents of the refill pack, we noticed that the colour was different.

“The one from the refill pack (counterfeit) was more yellowish compared with the original,” she told the New Straits Times yesterday.

Tan said she did not pay much attention to the matter until it was highlighted in the news, and she immediately reported the “fake” product to Mead Johnson, which produced the brand.

“What concerned me the most is that my husband bought the product from Setia Tropika, Johor, which was not listed by Mead Johnson or the authorities as the area where the fake infant formula was found.

“Many mothers have also messaged me to say that they have purchased the counterfeit products in various places, including Melaka, and Selangor.”

The former research manager, who is now a full-time mother, said the instructions on refunds were also unclear as the earlier statement by Mead Johnson instructed them to return the product to the store where it was purchased.

However, yesterday, the company had asked consumers to return the products directly to the manufacturer so that a lab test could be conducted.

Tan also vented her frustrations on why the infant formula was not recalled even though the problem was highlighted in August.

Meanwhile, Seila Nawi shared on Facebook her horrifying experience after feeding her young child with infant formula suspected to be fake.

She said her son had been admitted to hospital on and off after experiencing several symptoms, such as fever, rashes, vomiting and diarrhoea.

“I am grateful that I have recorded videos and took pictures of my son’s condition to update my husband, who is outstation,” she posted.

She said initially, the doctors did not suspect it had anything to do with the infant formula.

“They (the doctors) asked me if I had given my son any solid food or if he had picked up anything from the floor of the house as he was in the crawling stage.

“I told them I can’t think of anything,” she said.

In her posting, she said she had no idea that she had fed her son with formula milk that might be a fake.

“It’s not like he just had it. It has been months since I gave the formula milk to him,” she said.

She refused to disclose where she had purchased the formula, claiming that Mead Johnson was still investigating convenience stores in Selangor.

“I want to advise parents who want to continue purchasing this brand of baby milk to only buy it at supermarkets, such as Aeon and Tesco, and avoid buying it from medical halls, pharmacies or grocery stores,” she said.

Her Facebook post garnered over 32,000 reactions, with more than 7,300 comments and was shared over 135,000 times.

I told them I can’t think of anything... It’s not like he just had it. It has been months since I gave the formula milk to him.

SEILA NAWI

Facebook user