Death of Penang boy: Malaysia orders removal of ‘eyeball’ gummy candy online ads
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The victim, Mohamad Fahmi Hafiz, 10, was in intensive care for two days after choking on the gummy candy.
PHOTO: FARA HANI/ FACEBOOK
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Malaysia’s Health Ministry has ordered two online platforms to remove advertisements promoting the “eyeball” gummy candy that allegedly choked a 10-year-old boy from Penang, who died on Feb 20
The sweet, identified as “Gummy Original Basketball Soft Candy”, was found to have breached the labelling requirements under Malaysia’s Food Regulations 1985 of the Food Act 1983 (Act 281).
The ministry had identified 86 advertisement links promoting the product across two online platforms, Bernama reported.
The ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division was instructed to have these advertisements taken down on Feb 23.
Sale of the product is strictly prohibited, both on online platforms and in local markets, said the Bernama report.
“We also instructed district health offices across the country to conduct enforcement on physical premises and seize the remaining products being sold,” Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters.
The victim, Mohamad Fahmi Hafiz, was said to have purchased the table tennis ball-sized sweet from outside the compound of his school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Dua, in Butterworth, Penang.
