ENFORCEMENT officers from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry’s Kuala Lumpur branch detained two restaurant owners on suspicion of misappropriating subsidised cooking oil during a raid along Jalan Ipoh on Friday, its director Ariffin Samsudin said, adding the two premises did not possess a permit or license to store subsidised cooking oil, which is a controlled item.

Ariffin said the ministry seized 76kg of cooking oil from the two restaurants, while an investigation would follow under the Supply Control Act 1961.

“It is unfair to consumers who should be getting this subsidised cooking oil. In addition, an inspection at the first restaurant found that the premises failed to display the price tag for the tea powder sold and that the offense was investigated under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011,” he said in a press conference today.

He said about RM1,100 worth of tea powder was also confiscated in the raid.

“I urge restaurant owners to immediately stop the misuse of subsidised controlled items without a valid permit. In addition, I will ask members of the ministry to conduct operations, especially in premises that sell luxury food,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ariffin said the ministry would hold a Rahmah Sale Programme for six basic food items including cooking oil and 5kg rice bags, sardines, chicken and eggs in 17 supermarkets this Saturday starting at 10am.

The sale is limited to 300 units for each of the six items, and the supermarkets involved in the programme include Aeon BiG, ST Rosyam Mart, Giant, Ong Tai Kim Supermarket, Segi Fresh, NSK, Econsave and Fresh Grocer.

“The ministry intends to make this programme a monthly event if it gets a favourable response this Saturday,” he said. – Bernama, December 27, 2023