Check on infant formula

Saturday August 11, 2012

By LOH FOON FONG foonfong@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has imposed Level Five Inspection in containing, testing and releasing the infant milk powder Wakodo and Morinaga from Japan for iodine analysis.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the step had been taken beginning Thursday as a precautionary measure.
“As such, we urge consumers not to worry because the ministry will carry out monitoring,” he said during a breaking of fast function with the media here yesterday.
Liow said the ministry would continue to do random sampling of all milk powder coming into the country to ensure that they meet the requirements.
The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety had discovered that the milk powder had lower iodine level than the standard set by the international Codex Alimentarius.
According to Codex, the minimum level recommended in infant milk powder is 10 microgramme/100 kilocalories and the maximum is 60microgramme/100 kilocalories, he said.
It is believed that insufficient levels of iodine in infant milk powder could stunt the growth of infants.
According to the Veterinary Services Department, the Wakodo brand was not imported into Malaysia while Morinaga was imported into the country either through the Netherlands or New Zealand and not directly from Japan.
In PUTRAJAYA Health Ministry senior director of food safety and quality Noraini Mohd Othman said the ministry was taking samples of infant formula in the local market.
Noraini noted that should consumers have any doubt on the safety of infant formula that is available on the local market, they can lodge a report with the ministry either through the district or state health departments or the ministry's food safety and quality division's website at http://fsq.moh.gov.my/v3.