‘No banned chocolate products being sold in Sibu’

The Sibu Health Office has not detected any ‘Slymchoco’ or ‘Slymochoco’ chocolate products being sold openly in the market here so far, following the ban on their sales by the Health Ministry.

In a statement yesterday, the Health Office said the monitoring process was ongoing and necessary action would be taken should the product be found here.

“So far, we have not detected any (Slymchoco or Slymochoco chocolate products) being sold openly. We are still monitoring and will take action if (the products are) found,” it said today.

In a statement issued on March 16, the Health Ministry said it had banned the use and sale of Slymchoco or Slymochoco chocolate products after they were found to contain scheduled poison ‘Sibutramine’, a chemical compound that acts as an appetite suppressant.

In this regard, the ministry reminded offline and online traders to stop selling the products immediately and contact the nearest district Health Office for clarification.

The ministry had also instructed all advertising media, including on e-commerce and social media platforms, to cease advertising the banned food products.

The ministry had stated that based on data from an international study known as ‘Sibutramine on Cardiovascular Outcome Study’ (SCOUT), the chemical compound has been found to increase cardiovascular risks such as heart attacks and strokes in obese patients.

Under Section 13 of the Food Act 1983, it is an offence for any parties to prepare or sell food products containing poisonous and harmful substances. Such act is liable to a fine of up to RM100,000 or a jail term of up to 10 years, or both, upon conviction.