You might want to hold off your craving for bubble-tea. As result to Singaporean authorities discovering maleic acid in the tapioca pearls used in our favorite bubble-tea drinks, the Malaysian Health Ministry has suspended the import of 11 Taiwanese starch-based products.
Food Safety and Quality senior director Noraini Datuk Mohd Othman said the suspension was a precautionary measure.
“The Ministry has found that there have been no tapioca balls or tapioca pearls from Taiwanese company Sunright Foods Corporation imported to Malaysia. We are waiting confirmation from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office,” she said in a statement yesterday.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently alerted the public about the starch pearls containing maleic acid, an unapproved additive that can cause kidney damage.
“The Health Ministry is also imposing a Hold, Test and Release (Tahan, Uji dan Lepas) test on similar food products from other Taiwanese companies. This is unless the importer can produce a certificate approved by the Taiwan FDA that its products are free of maleic acid,” she said.
She also advises consumers who have bought the products to not consume them: “For those who have bought the product, it is advisable that you do not consume them and return the product to the seller or throw it away. However, those who have consumed it before this do not need to worry because occasional intake of maleic acid at a low dosage is not dangerous”. (Source)
