PUTRAJAYA: There is no distributor or company in Malaysia that has a licence to import or sell zam-zam water.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pic) said zam-zam water is categorised as natural mineral water and falls under Regulation 360A of the Food Regulations 1985.
Regulation 360A states that the import of natural mineral water requires a licence on the water source from the ministry after obtaining confirmation documents from the geological and hydrological authorities of the exporting country.
"In this case, the Saudi Arabian government has never issued the confirmation because zam-zam water cannot be exported and traded," he said in a statement on Friday (July 1) following media reports on the sale of zam-zam water online.
Dr Noor Hisham said consignment rejection action would be taken if there was an unauthorised import of zam-zam water.
"As such, the authenticity of zam-zam water advertised or sold in the market is doubtful," he said.
According to Dr Noor Hisham, RM83,618.20 worth of zam-zam water had been confiscated through enforcement efforts since 2012.
He said a total of 237 food advertisements were deleted from e-commerce platforms for various offences under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985, following screening conducted by the ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division.
Of the 237 deleted food advertisements, 32 involved zam-zam water advertisements, he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said from 2021 until this year, a total of 23 and 40 zam-zam water advertisements respectively, were deleted from social media.
Under the Food Regulations 1985, any individual convicted of selling packaged drinking water and unlicensed natural mineral water shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than two years.
"The Health Ministry advises the public not to buy zam-zam water from any online shop or platform, especially during the haj season, as it could be fake," said Dr Noor Hisham.
The public is urged to channel any information on the sale of zam-zam water to the nearest district health office, state health department, or through moh.spab.gov.my or the division's official Facebook page. – Bernama
