Call for higher fines over use of boric acid

NST: KUALA KANGSAR: Errant noodle manufacturers have continued using boric acid in their products as the low fines imposed have failed to act as a deterrent.
To check this, the Health Ministry has been urged to implore the court to impose the maximum penalty permissible under the Food Act 1983.
Under the Act, those found guilty of using the banned substance as a food preservative can be fined up to RM20,000 and jailed two years.
Noodle manufacturer Wong Yoke Fat said those guilty were only fined between RM3,000 and RM5,000.
"This is a paltry sum as they can easily make profits of up to RM10,000 by using boric acid," he told the New Straits Times here yesterday.
He claimed those using boric acid could produce an additional five kilos of noodles from a 25kg bag of flour.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek recently said that noodles in Penang and Selangor had been found with a high content of boric acid.
A random survey in April showed that Selangor topped the list with 19 per cent of samples containing dangerously high levels of boric acid, followed by Penang with 16 per cent.
The highest number of cases were in Klang, Selangor, and Kepala Batas, Sungai Dua and Butterworth in Penang.
Boric acid is used to preserve wood in the furniture industry and also in medication.
A person who consumes food with a lot of boric acid could suffer nausea, diarrhoea, dermatitis, kidney failure and damage to blood vessels.
Wong said in Singapore, offenders were even jailed for using boric acid.