Sabah suspends Ayamas imports

Sabah too has temporarily suspended importation of Ayamas poultry products following revelation by Sarawak’s veterinary authority that a banned antibiotic was detected in a sample of the brand’s chicken frankfurter.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin in confirming this yesterday said the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry Sabah (DOVSAI) had immediately issued a directive to all operators in the state not to import and sell some of the Ayamas products suspected to be contaminated.

“We have taken the necessary precautionary measures, which is to ban the products from being imported to Sabah,” he told reporters when asked whether the ministry had received any call from worried consumers in the state to take Ayamas products off the market.

Yahya, who did not reveal the list of Ayamas products that were suspended, said the ban would be enforced until the Ministry of Health had completed its investigation and cleared the products in question.

He added that apart from the federal ministry, the state had also conducted its own sampling and inspection through DOVSAI to ensure that all the products involved were free of any banned substances and safe for consumption.

“The authorities are dealing with the issue and necessary actions have been taken, including a thorough inspection of Ayamas products,” he said.

Reports last week said Sarawak had issued an import ban on the brand and some of its chicken products were taken out of supermarkets following a detection of chloramphenicol.

Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd however said it did not use the substance or any banned antibiotics in its products and had expressed surprise over the suspension.

Its group corporate communications general manager Rosniza Baharom said they took the matter very seriously and would fully cooperate with the authorities probing the matter, apart from launching its own thorough investigation.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai confirmed that checks on Ayamas products alleged to have contained the antibiotic were being carried out and a report would be prepared by the Ministry’s Food Security Division today (Thursday).

Chloramphenicol (INN) is a bacteriostatic antimicrobial that became available in 1949 and considered a prototypical broad-spectrum antibiotic.

It is both cheap and easy to manufacture but due to resistance and safety concerns, it is no longer a first-line agent for any infection in most countries, although it is sometimes used for eye infections.

Adverse effects of this medication include aplastic anemia, which is the most serious but rare effect, and in general fatal.

Other associated effects are increased risk of childhood leukemia and Gray Baby syndrome.

Source: Borneo Post