Noodle producer fined for using banned preservative

KUALA LUMPUR: A food manufacturing company, EHH Food Industry Sdn Bhd was yesterday fined RM10,000 by the Magistrate’s Court here for selling noodles (laksa) containing a prohibited food preservative, which is harmful to health.

Magistrate Zuhair Rosli handed down the sentence after the company represented by its operations supervisor, Oh Ching Hai, pleaded guilty to selling three packets of ‘laksa pendek’ under the ‘Cap Kunci’ brand, which contained benzoic acid prohibited under Food Regulations 1985.

The offence was committed at a supermarket in Jalan Metro Prima, Kepong here at 10am on Aug 22, 2017.

The charge under Section 13B (1) read together with Section 13B (2)(d) of the Food Act 1983 carries a maximum fine of RM20,000 or imprisonment of not more than five years.

Earlier, Health Office prosecuting officer Rosli Arsyad Mohd Jaafar urged the court to impose the maximum sentence on account of public safety.

“Benzoic acid is a prohibited food preservative that can cause inflammation, asthma and cancer if consumed over a long period of time,” he said.

The company which did not engage a lawyer however, appealed for a low penalty.

According to the facts of the case, a health officer went to the supermarket to buy three packets of ‘laksa pendek’ for analysis which were later found to contain 514mg/kg of benzoic acid. - Bernama