Ministry restricts sale of imported dried fruits due to high lead content

THE STAR By LESTER KONG


KUALA LUMPUR: The sale of 18 types of dried plum and prune from China, Taiwan and other Asian countries has been restricted by the Health Ministry after high degrees of lead was detected.

The foodstuff - known as asam or jeruk in Malay and kiam sui tee (salty, sour and sweet) in Hokkien which are immensely popular as tidbits among Malaysians - has been put on Level 5 alert by the ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division under its Food Information System of Malaysia.

This means that the division would hold the products for testing and would only release them for sale if they pass the test.
 

The highest alert level of 6 involves an immediate rejection of a product.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said for the moment, dried fruit products by other manufacturers and distributors would be permitted to be sold locally.

“If these 18 products are found in the local market, they will be seized and sampled for lead analysis,” he told reporters after launching the ministry’s management conference here yesterday.

Lead, in cumulative amounts over time, causes nervous system disorders and distorts brain development, especially in children.

Liow said the monitoring began following a US Food and Drug Administration report on Oct 1 that alerted consumers over the dried fruit sold by the 15 manufacturers due to lead contamination.

“If a product by a manufacturer or distributor is found to contain more than the permitted two parts per million (ppm), legal action will be taken under the Food Regulations 1985,” Liow said.

The 18 products apparently had lead levels of up to 30 ppm.
 

Asked if any of the 18 products were being sold locally, the minister said the division was checking on this.

Meanwhile, Liow announced that former International Trade and Industry Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Ooi Say Chuan had been appointed Malaysian Health Tourism Council chief executive officer.

He said the council, to be launched in December by the Prime Minister, would focus on consolidating private and Government efforts in promoting Malaysia as a health tourism destination.

Adakah Ais untuk minuman sejuk anda selamat?

Ada yang mengatakan terdapatnya bakteria merbahaya seperti e-coli di dalam ais yang kita minum. Mungkin jawapan nya ada disini : http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/

H1N1: Two Singaporeans die from swine flu

SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans died today from Influenza A (H1N1), bringing the total number of swine flu-related deaths in the city-state so far to three. 

A 13-year-old boy who was suffering from epilepsy and admitted to the National University Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last Sunday and diagnosed with H1N1 flu died this morning. 

The cause of the boy’s death was due to prolonged seizures, with H1N1 flu infection as a contributing factor, according to the Health Ministry in its latest update on the flu. 

In another case, a 55-year-old man suffering from a motor neuron disease and admitted to Changi General Hospital (CGH) ICU last Saturday, and also diagnosed with the swine flu died this afternoon. 

The ministry said the man died from severe pneumonia with advanced motor neuron disease and underlying H1N1 flu. 

In the first Singapore H1N1 flu-related death, a 49-year-old man with heart problems died at the CGH last week. - Bernama

Source: NST Online

Virus H1N1 a.k.a virus babi

Pelbagai penyakit ganjil kini menyerang dunia kita. Mengapa??......

Toilet king of Malaysia calls it a day

Unfinished business: Lau is giving up the seat as the chairman of Quality Restroom Association Malaysia (QRAM) as he became the Deputy Transport Minister last month.

By FOONG PEK YEE (thestar.com.my)

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s “toilet king” is stepping down next month after a five-year reign.
Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, who earned the nickname for his tireless effort in fighting for clean public toilets in the country, said: “It is an unfinished business but I have to move on.”
The 67-year-old accountant-turned-politician was inducted into the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s clean toilet campaign when he was the deputy minister in 2004.
His mission came to an end when he was appointed Deputy Transport Minister last month.
Lau is best remembered for setting up the first toilet association in Malaysia — Quality Restroom Assocation Malaysia (QRAM) — of which he has been chairman since its inception in 2005.
The Sibu MP said he is not seeking re-election at the QRAM annual general meeting to be held next month.
He said it is time for the Government to wield the stick on the country’s 148 local authorities so that they were serious in making sure that the 250,000 public toilets within their jurisdictions are clean.

“Only 60 local authorities took part in a star-rating programme for public toilets last year,” he lamented.

Previous news regarding QRAM Campaign

Ubat untuk masalah ekonomi

Manusia mengejar kekayaan tanpa ingat akan halal dan haram. Kini bila di landa masalah mereka masih tercari-cari ubat yang sesuai...

Rokok oh rokok...

1. Saya juga pernah merasa rokok. Namun alhamdulillah tidak melekat.
2. Ketika pulang dari solat jumaat tengahhari tadi, terdapat satu kotak rokok kosong di buang berdekatan kereta saya.
3. Gambar yang di tunjukkan di kotak rokok tersebut jelas memaparkan kempen anti-merokok.
4. Tetapi mengapa rokok masih dijual?. Itu kasi penggubal and pembesar negara jawab lah. mungkin ada data rahsia yang mana mereka lebih tahu. Yang pasti nya kalau di kurung perokok selama 10 hari di dalam bilik gelap, mereka masih hidup jika di berikan makan, tanpa "se-pam" asap rokok.
5. Saya kira secara kasar nya perokok akan membelanja kan hampir RM 28 ribu bagi tempoh 20 tahun, dengan assupmtions ; mereka merokok 7 batang sehari dengan kenaikan harga rokok 3% setahun bagi 20 batang punya kotak.
6. Alangkah bagus nya kalau duit itu disumbangkan bagi pembangunan agama contohnya. Pasti banyak yang malaikat boleh kira nanti.
7. Lebih malang lagi, jika perokok itu akan menggunakan perkhidmatan hospital kerajaan bagi mendapatkan rawatan kanser tertentu.
8. Puluhan ribu akan di guna kan bagi merawat mereka. Kalau ada saving insuran tak pa juga. At least guna duit sendiri.
9. Berhenti lah merokok....
10. Simpan lah duit
11. Laburkan lah untuk kemudahan dunia dan akhirat.