Presence of products without palm oil label raises ire
04/10/2022 (Free Malaysia Today) - While Malaysia is fighting the anti-palm oil campaign in the west, products bearing labels stressing that they do not contain palm oil are found at retail outlets and supermarket shelves in the country, and that has the authorities quite peeved.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) said checks conducted on 2,609 business premises nationwide by the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry revealed that 12 products were found to carry labels such as “Palm Oil-Free” or “Does Not Contain Palm Oil”.
In a statement issued today, the MPOC reminded reminded retailers and supermarket operators that they were required to comply with the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 to avoid “false or misleading statements” in their labelling or advertising pertaining to palm oil.
“Apart from the compliance with the correct and proper food labelling provisions as specified in the act, there is an overriding need to comply with the Consumer Protection Act 1999,” it said.
If necessary, it said, legal action could be initiated against the product manufacturers or retailers.
The MPOC said that while fair competition in the marketplace was healthy for both businesses and consumers, the attack on palm oil was “regrettable” as it undermined the credibility of the commodity.
“This also fans the hate sentiment orchestrated by western countries against the world’s second largest palm oil producer,” it added.