KUALA LUMPUR: The Veterinary Services Department and the Chemistry Department are conducting checks on mutton in the market to ensurethat it is not adulterated with beef or imported lamb, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday.
He said the checks were ordered following complaints from the public that traders were trying to reap excessive profits by mixing the meats.
“If any trader is found to be selling the adulterated mutton, the ministry will not hesitate to act against them,” he told reporters after a visit to the Pudu market here to monitor the prices of controlled items in conjunction with Deepavali, which falls on Wednesday.
Ismail Sabri said the ministry had conducted checks on 844 retailers and 89 wholesalers nationwide to ensure that they did not sell the controlled items at higher prices from yesterday to Oct 30.
He said traders who did not display the price tags would be fined up to RM100,000 or sentenced to jail for up to three years, or both, for the first offence.
For the second and subsequent offences, they can be fined up to RM250,000 or sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both, he added. – Bernama