Malaysia - Penang education dept comes under fire for food poisoning incident

The Penang Education Department has come under fire from parents following the food poisoning incident involving 40 pupils of a primary school in Bayan Lepas.

The parents are unhappy that a company was allowed to promote its soya drink milk to pupils during school hours.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the parents were upset over how a commercial activity could be allowed in school.

"Parents are curious why only pupils came down with food poisoning and not the teachers," he said here yesterday.

State Education director Ahmad Tarmizi Kamaruddin said the company had received permission from the Education Ministry to distribute the free packet drinks.

"It is part of the company's promotion of healthy food in schools," he said.

He said the free packet drinks were distributed to two schools in Penang - one in Bayan Lepas and another in Bandar Perda in Bukit Mertajam.

"Forty pupils in the school in Bayan Lepas came down with food poisoning. There was no such incident in the school in Bandar Perda," he said.

Ahmad Tarmizi said only pupils came down with food poisoning since the packets were only distributed to pupils. He said the expiry date on the packet drink is 2013.

"We are awaiting a report from the state Health Department on the contents of the drink," he said.

Ahmad Tarmizi said the 40 pupils who were rushed to the Penang Hospital after consuming the drink had recovered.

"They received only outpatient treatment. None of them were warded," he said.

It was reported that the pupils were rushed in several ambulances to the hospital after they complained of nausea and stomachache at about 10.30am on Thursday.

It was reported that of the 172 pupils of the school who drank the milk, 62 came down with food poisoning and 40 were sent to the Penang Hospital.

The rest received treatment in clinics.

Josephine Jalleh | The Star, ANN

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