Ministry orders Lazada to remove tainted candy
The Health Ministry has instructed e-commerce platform Lazada to stop the sale of Kingu Ginseng Candy, which is found to contain tadalafil, a prescription drug to treat erectile dysfunction.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said its Food Safety and Quality Programme division had initiated an investigation and preliminary screening found that the product was so far only sold on Lazada.
“The investigation also found that the product label did not comply with the Food Regulations Act 1985. The was no name and address of the manufacturer/packer/distributor/right holder for manufacturing/importing.
“Lazada has since been instructed to immediately remove the advertisement and stop the sale of the product,” it said.
The ministry also called for any traders, including online sellers, who had stocks of the product to cease selling it.
People who have consumed the candy should also seek advice and treatment from healthcare professionals.
It was reported that the Singapore Food Agency had advised consumers not to buy or consume the candy after detecting tadalafil in its contents.
The agency said the product, which originated from Malaysia, was marketed on multiple local e-commerce platforms as a male sexual enhancer.
The use of tadalafil without medical supervision could cause adverse effects, such as vision and hearing loss, dangerous drop in blood pressure and cardiovascular complications like stroke and heart attacks.
The ministry gave its assurance that it was continuously on the lookout for such products.
“Since 2018, out of 1,575 product samples taken due to suspected contamination with scheduled poisons, 32 samples (2.03 per cent) were found to contain scheduled poisons not permitted under the Food Regulations 1985.
“Enforcement action have been taken against the companies and manufacturers of the products involved,” it said.