Fresh from a revelation by Pakatan Rakyat that products sold at government-subsidised Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia were not cheap as claimed, Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament Tony Pua dropped another bombshell.
This time, Pua said products sold at KR1M were unsafe for human consumption, citing lab test which discovered the presence of E-coli and Coliform in its fresh milk.
“This is not a political issue. This is of consumers’ interest. What has the Health minister done the last five months, since KR1M started its operation with products failing the regulation set by the ministry?” asked Pua, at a press conference accompanied by PAS's Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Pua did not reveal the names of the labs which conducted the test, but said they were certified by the Health ministry and could make their results available upon requests, suggesting that this was to avoid harassment to the labs.
He said besides the bacteria find, some products at the KR1M shop violated Health ministry regulations on product labelling.
He added that checks were also conducted on oyster sauce, pineapple jam, ice cream, creamer, condensed milk, canned sardines, curry chicken and ghee.
“All these products violate the 13, 13B, 14, 15 and 16 clause according to Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. Have they been tested to determine whether they are suitable for public or has nothing been done due to conflict of interest?
"I demand the Health Minister to investigate this immediately. Stop sleeping!” he urged.
'Comparison unfair'
Yesterday, the same trio said goods at another hypermarket were priced cheaper than similar ones bought at KR1M, which is the government-endorsed mini market chain operated by the nation's largest hypermarket Mydin.
Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob however denied the claims, and accused the opposition of lying.
Ismail said comparing the products at KR1M with those of Carrefour was unfair as the latter has its own brand.
"When making comparison, make sure to compare an apple with an apple.
"You can't compare KR1M prices to Carrefour's house brands because our pricing benchmark is based on that of branded products. Compare products of similar quality and content. You can't compare a package of Ceylon tea with black tea and say the Ceylon tea is more expensive," said Ismail.
- Harakahdaily
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