Nestlé Malaysia: Buy Milo from reputable retailers

PETALING JAYA: Nestlé Malaysia has urged consumers to only purchase Milo products from reputable and major retailers in the country following the seizure of fake Milo packets during a recent raid. 

In an e-mail to The Star, Nestlé said it is mobilising its sales team to identify the counterfeit product and the company will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities and render assistance wherever possible. 

“Nestlé takes this issue very seriously as counterfeiting of products is an illegal activity that deliberately misleads the public. 

“Nestlé does not have information on how the counterfeit Milo was produced; therefore we are unable to comment on this. 

"We understand that there is an official investigation underway and we trust the authorities will issue further information once this is complete,” said the statement on Tuesday. 

On Friday (March 13), officers from the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry raided a premise in Mantin, Negri Sembilan, and seized RM250,000 worth of fake Milo packets. 

State chief enforcement officer Saifulbahri Abdul Kadir said legal action would be taken under the Trade Descriptions Act (TDA) against the syndicate. 

He added that officials from Nestlé have arrived in Seremban to check the seized items. 

“They arrived on Monday and are currently conducting further analysis and tests on the product sample provided by us,” he said when contacted by The Star. 

Police, who were also part of the raid, arrested six Myanmar workers. 

Saifulbahri said 1,000 empty boxes, 50,000 empty plastic packs, a weighing machine, a printer and a numbering printer were also seized. 

To know the difference between the real and fake Milo, Nestlé said there is a notable difference in taste. 

“Genuine Milo has a malty, creamy rich chocolatey taste, whereas the counterfeit product has a strong cocoa and slightly burnt taste, which is sweet and is also darker in colour when mixed with water. 

"The counterfeit packaging seems to be very similar to the genuine packaging. One difference is that the genuine Milo packaging is machine-packed and cut; as such, the edges on the top of the genuine pack will not have a perfect perforation, whereas the counterfeit product does” said Nestlé. 

When asked what are the ingredients in the fake Milo and whether it (the fake Milo) is dangerous for consumption, Nestlé said the company does not have information on how the fake Milo was produced, and therefore unable to speculate on it. 

"We are currently conducting further analysis and tests on the product sample provided by the authorities," Nestlé added. 

Consumers who have any concerns or enquiries are advised to contact the Nestlé Consumer Services Centre at 1-800-88-3433 for further assistance.