Tests conducted on food products of Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd (Ayamas) revealed that they do not contain the antibiotic Chloramphenicol, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said today.

He told the Dewan Rakyat that the tests were conducted by the ministry’s Food Security Division on 15 samples of food products taken from the company’s plant and 16 samples from the market.

“The laboratory tests showed that there was no Chloramphenicol in the products. If there were, we would have acted immediately to remove the products from the market,” he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2013.

Liow said the ministry had been monitoring Ayamas products since 2009 and found that they did not contain the antibiotic.

The media had reported last Thursday that the Sarawak government imposed an immediate import ban on products from the company after a test showed the presence of the antibiotic.

- Bernama