BUTTERWORTH: A food import company was fined RM2,500 by a Magistrate’s Court here after pleading guilty to bringing in pickled fruits containing cyclamate, an artificial sweetener banned under the Food Regulations 1985.
The Penang Health Department said in a statement on Monday (Dec 8) that the North Seberang Prai District Health Office collected samples from a premises in Butterworth for analysis.
Tests by the Perlis Food Safety and Quality Laboratory confirmed that the product contained 104mg/kg of cyclamate.
Investigations found the pickled fruits were imported from China by a company based in Ipoh.
Cyclamate is a low-cost artificial sweetener about 30 times sweeter than sugar.
It has no nutritional value and is barred from use in food in Malaysia because of long-standing safety concerns. Early animal studies raised questions over its potential cancer-causing risks.
