Malaysian authorities on May 2 raided a convenience store in Putrajaya for selling ice cream with “No Palm Oil” labelled on the plastic packaging.
According to the Free Malaysia Today (FMT) news site, Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali said in a statement that the raid, which was sparked by a public complaint, saw the seizure of various types of ice cream products.
“All of the ice cream products, worth a total of RM897.90 (S$255), were seized for further investigation,” he reportedly said.
Many ice cream products contain palm oil, which gives the confection its creamy texture.
In Malaysia, it is illegal to sell products with the “No Palm Oil” label which is seen to be discriminatory against products containing the widely used vegetable oil, an economic mainstay for Malaysia.
FMT reported Mr Armizan as saying that the case will be investigated under the Trade Descriptions (Prohibition Of Use Of Statement, Expression Or Indication) (Oil Palm Product And Palm Oil Goods) Regulations 2022.
“If convicted, the offender can be fined up to RM250,000 or imprisoned for a maximum of five years,” he said.
The regulation came into force on March 15, 2022.
Mr Armizan also reportedly said that according to enforcement statistics from March 15, 2022, to May 2, 2024, 5,057 inspections had been carried out nationwide on premises across the supply chain, with four cases recorded.
“Strict action will be taken against any importer, distributor or retailer that sells imported products which do not comply with the regulations,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.
“The offence covers statements or indicators that may discriminate against or call for the boycott of products or goods involving palm oil, the nation’s main commodity”.
According to local media, the Ministry of Plantations and Commodities said earlier in February that such labelling techniques give consumers the impression that palm oil is harmful to health.
Malaysia, the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, is facing pressure from the European Union’s restrictions against deforestation.
According to AFP, the EU in 2023 introduced new rules that ban goods from deforested land, in a fight against climate change and environmental destruction.
Critics and government officials have called the measures discriminatory against Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia, which is the world’s biggest palm oil producer.
According to an FMT report, Plantations and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani on April 26 called on the EU to show fairness and lend appropriate support, as Malaysia attempts to fulfil its sustainability goals.
In an interview with local media, Mr Johari said that palm oil producers in the country must abide by strict requirements in order to obtain the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification – one criterion of which is that there must be no deforestation activities – according to a New Straits Times (NST) report on April 23.
The report also states that 97 per cent of the total oil palms planted in Malaysia is MSPO certified.
