Probe into safety of jelly products
BY ROYCE CHEAHPETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry will be taking a closer look at jelly products following the death of a three-year-old girl who choked on a piece of the sweet recently.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said the ministry was in the midst of finding out the actual type of jelly little Wong Poh Yan choked on.
Clarifying the ministry’s position on mini-cup jelly, he said the Food Quality Control Division had issued a ban on the import of ‘konjac mini-cup jelly’ in 2002, stressing that the ban still stood.
“We've also learnt that the European Union has banned konjac as an ingredient in making jelly and other countries have banned a multitude of additives used in mini-cup jellies like sodium alginate, potassium alginate, agar and carregenan, among others,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Konjac, also known as konnyaku, conjac, yam flour or glucomannan, is an additive used in making jelly.
According to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, jelly made with konjac is firm, does not dissolve easily and with the way it is shaped, it can result in the jelly being stuck in the throat.
On Nov 21, Poh Yan choked on a piece of jelly while riding her bicycle in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. She was rushed to a nearby clinic but was pronounced dead on arrival.
A ministry source said a sample of the jelly recovered during the post-mortem was being analysed by the Chemist Department.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Zul Hasnan Najib Baharudin confirmed that a sample of the jelly was sent to the relevant department for analysis.
Dr Abdul Latiff advised parents and guardians to keep their children away from food that could cause choking and to make sure that jelly bought for them is soft in texture.
“If consumers come across mini-cup jelly that has konjac as an ingredient, please report it to the Health Ministry,” he urged.
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