Pua sticks to his guns on ‘unsafe’ KR1M milk

The Food Regulations Act recommends 5,000 IU/100g for daily intake, while the milk formula manufacturer recommends three times the amount, says the DAP MP.

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PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua today stood by his allegation that the infant milk formula sold at Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M) contains excessive amount of Vitamin A.

Said Pua: “The label on the box indicates that the Vitamin A level is 588 percent or 6,012 IU (international unit), which is way above the recommended level of between 250 IU and 750 IU for children and 5,000 IU for adults under the Food Regulations Act 1985.”

He urged the authorities to take action as it could affect children’s health.

He was speaking at a press conference at the DAP headquarters here called to rebut Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai’s claims that the powder milk formula is safe for consumption.

Also present were DAP vice-chairman Chong Chieng Jen and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Last week, Pua, Nurul and PAS central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad had alleged that the infant milk formula sold at KR1M did not comply with the nutritional standard specified in the Food Regulations Act.

The MPs claimed that the milk contained eight times the amount of Vitamin A allowed by the law. In the light of the findings, they called on the KR1M management to provide full refund to customers.

Excessive Vitamin A could cause liver damage, low bone density and hair loss in the long run.

But Liow dismissed the claims yesterday, saying that the Vitamin A content in the milk formula did not exceed the maximum 5,000 IU/100gm level as permitted by the Food Regulations Act for daily consumption.

He also said that the content of Vitamin A in the milk is 3,240 IU/100gm. The tests were conducted at the factory manufacturing the product.

“Therefore allegations by certain parties that the milk has exceeded the legal limit of Vitamin A are false,” Liow said.

‘Let’s have open dialogue’

In his defence today, Pua said the manufacturer recommended that the user uses four scoops of milk powder in one serving, with one scoop equivalent to 30g.

The manufacturer also recommended that the milk be consumed four times daily for toddlers below the age of two.

“So the manufacturer is recommending that you consume 15,553 IU of Vitamin A daily, which is above the standard 5,000 IU,” said Pua.

Pua, who is also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, urged Liow to have an open dialogue with him to put the matter to rest.

“We don’t want to have counter press conferences every time. Let’s have an open dialogue and lay all our data on the table for public view.

“If I’m wrong, I will apologise and even promote KR1M products,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nurul said they have no intention to politicise the matter but were concerned that children’s health could be at stake with the milk formula in the market.

“We were proven right in our case against KR1M oyster sauce and the government had taken the product off the shelves,” said Nurul.