By SHERIDAN MAHAVERA

KUALA LUMPUR: The government need not wait for new laws to take action against firms selling imported rice mixed with local grains, says a consumer group.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) vice-president Datuk Indrani Thuraisingham said action against these companies could be taken under the Trade Descriptions Act, Consumer Protection Act and the Food Act.

“All these laws deal with accurate labelling and representation of goods and services.

“Companies can be sanctioned for false or misleading labels on their products under the Trade Descriptions Act.

“The same goes for the Consumer Protection Act because consumers think they are buying imported rice but the rice has been mixed with local grains,” explained Indrani, who is also the federation’s legal adviser.

She said that companies selling adulterated food could face legal action under the Food Act.

This was after Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the current Control of Paddy and Rice Act 1994 (Act 522) is being amended as it is unable to tackle the issue effectively.

Samples taken between September 2023 and March 2024 from rice packets labelled “imported rice” found that they had been mixed with local subsidised rice.

Fomca chief operating officer Nur Asyikin Aminuddin said subsidised rice, which is sold at RM2.60 per kg, has disappeared from store shelves for some one-and-a-half years.

“We have been constantly monitoring the markets throughout the country. Despite arriving early in the morning when supplies should arrive, we are unable to locate subsidised rice.

“Now we know why,” she said, adding that unscrupulous people have been mixing the subsidised grains with imported rice to increase profits.

“The government cannot be soft on the rice industry because the subsidies they gave us to get cheaper rice are not reaching us,” she said.

Published Date: February 27, 2025