KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 – The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) will continue to monitor the sale of dates suspected to originate from Israel (Israeli dates), which are allegedly available in the market, including those sold online.
Its Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said that KPDN will continue monitoring through various laws, especially the Trade Description Act 2011, to prevent the dates from being offered to consumers.
“We have immediately included in the standard operating procedure (SOP) and terms of reference of the ‘Op Pantau’ which we have launched especially for Ramadan and Aidilfitri, to look in detail related to the alleged sale of (Israeli) dates.
“We hope for cooperation from the whole community, and public complaints in the official platforms which exist at KPDN,” he said during the Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat Thursday.
He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu), who wanted to know the government’s actions regarding the sale of Israeli dates online, and whether the government needs to amend the existing laws to ensure that Israeli products cannot easily enter the country.
Armizan said KPDN views the issue seriously and will take stern action against any irresponsible parties who try to mislead consumers.
“Under Section 5 of the Trade Description Act 2011, any party found guilty can be subject to penalties such as individuals can be fined up to RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both, while companies can be fined up to RM250,000,” he said.
Yesterday, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM), at a press conference, announced that it seized 73 packets of dates suspected to originate from Israel in a raid at a food storage warehouse in Klang, Selangor on March 12.
