Dried Fruit on Level 5 Alert

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has put dried fruit products, particularly plum and prune products, from 16 companies in China , Taiwan and other Asian countries, on Level 5 alert because of their high levels of lead.

Ministry staff will be on the lookout for these products at entry points for 16 manufacturers and distributors to ensure the products do not come into the country, Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said on Thursday.

With a Level 5 alert, the Ministry would hold the products to test them for lead content before they can be released into the market.

The highest alert, Level 6, involves an immediate rejection of the product.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the monitoring was started following an Oct 1 US Food and Drug Administration report warning people not to consume dried fruit, including dried plums and prunes, due to lead contamination.

"If a product by a manufacturer or distributor is found to contain more than the permitted two parts per million (ppm), legal action will be taken under the Food Regulations 1985," Liow told reporters after launching the ministry's management conference on Thursday.

If convicted, guilty parties can be fined up to RM100,000, jailed for up to 10 years or both.

Lead, in cumulative amounts over time, causes nervous system disorders and distorts brain development, especially in children.

Dried Plum Products with Elevated Lead Levels

Manufacturer/Distributor: Alamo Packing
Product Name on Label: The Original Chinese Candy Dried Plums with Pickle and Lemon Saladitos Con Pepino Y Limon


Manufacturer/Distributor: Almax International
Product Name on Label: ItsFruit Chinese Style Dried Prune Saladito


Manufacturer/Distributor: Bolner's Fiesta Products
Product Name on Label: Saladitos 6 Count


Manufacturer/Distributor: Casa De Dulce
Product Name on Label: Salted Plum Suckers

Manufacturer/Distributor: Cheung Fat
Product Name on Label: Plum wrapped "candy" (Packaging predominately in Asian foreign language - blue and white bag with candy wrapped in red and white)



Manufacturer/Distributor: Dollar Value Distributor
Product Name on Label: Saladitos Salted Prunes


Manufacturer/Distributor: Hinojosa Brothers (H.B. Wholesale)
Product Name on Label: Salados Salted dried plums


Manufacturer/Distributor: Kam Tai Hong
Product Name on Label: Hua Ho Ying Tzu (Packaging in Asian foreign language)


Manufacturer/Distributor: Little Gregory
Product Name on Label: Chinese Candy Packaging also contains individual packets of Limon and La Sabrozita


Manufacturer/Distributor: Mexican Products & Spices
Product Name on Label: 7 Salted Plums 7 Saladitos


Manufacturer/Distributor: Produce Plus
Product Name on Label: Saladitos Chinese Candy


Manufacturer/Distributor: Roxy Trading Co.
Product Name on Label: Preserved Liquoriced Prune, Preserved Plums: Preserved Salted Prunes, Preserved Plums, Preserved Plums: Preserved Red Prunes


Manufacturer/Distributor: Sanh Yuan Enterprise
Product Name on Label:
Preserved Fruit Pitted Prunes


Manufacturer/Distributor: Tang Hoi Moon
Product Name on Label: Chan Pui Mui Preserved Plum



Manufacturer/Distributor: Wan Tom Food Co. LTD
Product Name on Label: Ka Po Preserved Plum