Consumer shocked to find two expiry dates on effervescent vitamins
KUCHING: A regular consumer of a popular effervescent Vitamin C brand was recently shocked to find two expiry dates on the product sold at a health and beauty outlet here.
Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong said Ngeaw Siew Eng initially noticed a sticker over the expiry date, which was unusual.
“Ngeaw’s son had purchased the vitamins at a shopping mall here during a ‘buy one, free one’ promotion on March 23. The expiry date on the box was Feb 27, 2025.
“When the family went to take the Vitamin C the next day, they saw some text behind the sticker and decided to peel it off. That’s when they discovered that the actual expiry date printed onto the box was Feb 26, 2024.
“Furthermore, each Vitamin C tube had a sticker with the manufacturing and expiry dates,” she told a press conference at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.
Also present during the press conference was Ngeaw.
According to Yong, Ngeaw had asked her for help in filing a complaint to the Ministry of Health (MoH) regarding the issue.
“I will be assisting them to file an official complaint next week, and hopefully, the ministry will be able to initiate and conduct a thorough investigation on this.
“The public has a right to know if the products they bought are safe to consume, especially if their original shelf life has passed,” she said.
Yong also said that retailers that put up their consumable items for sale should place a notice with information on the shelf life of the product.
“If a product has a two-year shelf life and its expiry date is approaching, the retailer should have a notice next to it for customers to read. That way, if they decide to buy the product, there won’t be complaints,” she said.