Khong Guan biscuits in M'sia tested

Thu, Oct 16, 2008
New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Khong Guan biscuits made in Malaysia are being tested for excessive melamine levels. The tests, which are being carried out by the Health Ministry, were conducted following fears in Vietnam that biscuits produced in Indonesia by the Khong Guan company may be tainted with the deadly chemical.

"Items will not be banned until the results from the ministry are obtained," said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai at the MCA headquarters here yesterday.

However, checks with the Khong Guan head office in Singapore showed that there were two separate biscuit manufacturers using the Khong Guan name.

"The company in Singapore is a totally different entity from the one in Indonesia," said a company representative.

She also confirmed that the products made by Khong Guan Singapore used Australian milk and not Chinese dairy sources.

She said the Indonesian trademark of the 61-year-old company had been sold off many years ago, which was why both manufacturers shared a common name. Checks with Khong Guan Indonesia confirmed her statement.

In a telephone interview later, Liow said Malaysian-made Khong Guan biscuits were being tested as a precautionary measure as they shared a brand name with the Indonesian variety, although the operations are independent of each other.

Results are expected to be known within the week.

Tesco Malaysia said the Health Ministry was not revealing what exactly were the products being tested.

"As a result, we can't take any precautionary measures of our own."

Carrefour Malaysia confirmed that it did not carry Khong Guan biscuits in its outlets.

Khong Guan's first factory was set up in the country in 1954. Since then, it has grown to become one of the country's largest biscuit makers, with six factories and 12 branches and distributors.

Its products are exported worldwide. The company has also been awarded the ISO 9002 certification since 1995, and several Monde Selection gold medals -- an international accolade of quality -- since 1982.

Vietnam, on Tuesday, complained the Indonesian-made biscuits could be contaminated with the deadly chemical, which has killed four Chinese children and caused another 53,000 to fall ill.

However, Indonesian food and drug agency chairman Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib said the department's tests showed that the product was not contaminated.

Meanwhile, 20 types of fruits and vegetables from China have been found to be free of melamine, the Health Ministry's random sampling showed.

Apples, grapes, pears, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, ginger, garlic, kailan and celery were among the items that were tested and found to be safe.

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