The Health Ministry has announced that an investigation found the eyeball-shaped gummy candy product to violate labelling requirements under the Food Regulations 1985 of the Food Act 1983 [Act 281].

It said the size or shape of food products is generally not regulated under the Food Regulations 1985, Act 281, except for “controlled jelly confectionery” with a diameter of 45mm or less.

Such products must have the label: “WARNING: MAY POSE A CHOKING HAZARD” and “NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE”.

“The sale of this product is prohibited on all online platforms and in the domestic market.

“Enforcement action, including product seizure, will be carried out in accordance with the regulations,” said the ministry in a statement today.

The Health Ministry also urged the public, especially parents, to monitor and advise children to be more cautious in selecting food, particularly those that pose a choking risk, as there is a significant risk to infants and young children.

“The risk increases when food is not properly chewed or swallowed whole. Choking incidents are more common with food that is hard, chewy, small, and round, which can easily become lodged in the airway,” the statement noted.

The ministry emphasised that the consumption of any food by children must always be under the supervision of parents or guardians.

“The Health Ministry will continue to conduct food safety monitoring and enforcement activities while taking preventive measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” it stated.

It also sympathy and condolences to the family of Mohammad Fahmi Hafiz Mohammad Fakhruddin, the 10-year-old student who choked after consuming the eyeball-shaped gummy candy and passed away last night.

Fahmi, a Standard Four student at SK Sungai Dua in Butterworth, Penang, was in critical condition after choking on the candy he bought before attending class at 2.30pm on Tuesday.

He passed away while receiving treatment in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Penang Hospital around 11pm last night.

- Bernama

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