Following orders by the country's food and health regulators to remove Ayamas and Jodi food products from shops and for the public to refrain from consuming them, health authorities here said they are working closely with the local importer of the popular Malaysian processed food product to ensure they are free from contamination and are safe to consume.
Meanwhile, popular food chain KFC, a sister company of the local Ayamas convenience shop, Kedai Ayamas, is also taking precautionary measures by temporarily halting sales of some of its products pending results from tests conducted by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
With regards to KFC, the affected products are nuggets, Colonel Burgers and meatballs. Similarly, at Kedai Ayamas, all Ayamas products have been temporarily taken off the shelves until further notice," KFC (Brunei) Sdn Bhd said in a statement yesterday.
The MoH and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) in a statement yesterday said they took immediate precautionary measures by issuing a mass recall and temporary suspension of chicken-related products under the Ayamas and Jodi brands including chicken meat, nuggets, sausages, burger meat and meatballs pending further tests.
The mass recall followed random tests conducted by health authorities in neighbouring Malaysian state of Sarawak, which found traces of choramphenicol in some of its batch of products released last month.
Malaysian daily New Straits Times reported that the Sarawak Veterinary Authority banned all imports of Ayamas products with immediate effect. However, Ayamas Food Corporation has said that do not use choramphenicol or any other banned antibiotics in its products.
KFC Brunei in a statement yesterday said, "Although the product contamination occurred in our neighbouring country and only its recent batch, we are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our customers."
The Bulletin surveyed some of the major departmental stores in the country yesterday and found all adhered to the order by taking Ayamas products off their shelves as they now wait for more information from the health authorities here.
