Chua: No ban on China goods

Star: KLUANG: Malaysia will not ban the import of food supplements, cosmetics and medicine from China although Indonesia has done so.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the import of drugs and food supplements are controlled rigidly by his ministry through either the food quality division or the pharmaceutical division.
“So we will not follow blindly what another country does. Indonesia can do what they want, we have our own guidelines,” said Dr Chua.
He said if the amount of herbal product in any food did not exceed 20%, it was considered an ordinary food product and need not be registered with the ministry.
If it contains more than 20% of herbal products, then it is regarded as a food supplement and has to be registered with the food quality division or the pharmaceutical division.
As for drugs, they must all get approval from the ministry through the pharmaceutical division before they can be in the market, he said.
Indonesia banned the import of food supplements, cosmetics and medicine from China early this month, following findings that the medicines contained chemical substances while the cosmetics were mixed with mercury and rhodamin and its food products were mixed with formalin, all of which were dangerous to health.