MELAKA: A concerned father recalled seeing his then 10-month-old daughter developing fever and red rashes after drinking what he suspected could have been counterfeit baby milk formulas.
The graphic designer, who only wished to be known as Koh, 33 said he became worried after seeing news on the discovery of fake baby milk formula in the market.
"My wife, who is an active Facebook user, encountered the news on social media. Knowing that we have been using this brand all this while, we started to question whether we have been feeding our baby with a counterfeit version," he said, adding that to his horror, the description of the packaging matched that of the fake formulas.
Koh then recalled rushing his daughter to a private hospital in early September after his baby had developed high fever and had to be admitted for several days.
"There were red spots everywhere on her body, on her face, hands, and even her back.
"The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and supplements before her condition gradually improved," he said.
Koh said previously, the baby milk formulas for his daughter were usually purchased by his aunt's daughter from Singapore.
"In the first three months, I think my daughter consumed authentic baby milk formula as they were purchased from reputable outlets in Singapore.
"Only from the fourth month onwards, I started buying my own formula milk from the same Chinese medicine shop since the price was slightly lower than that of the supermarkets," he said.
Koh said he was concerned that his daughter may have developed health issues due to prolonged consumption of the milk.
"Babies are weak and fragile; I am worried that her past consumptions can be detrimental to her health since she drank about five packets of the 600-gramme milk powder every month.
"I am here not to point fingers at the company or the retailer. It is a reputable company and proven to be a good brand for babies. I just want to tell parents out there to be more careful when buying formula milk," he said, adding that he will consider lodging a report with the authorities.
He said he is relieved that his daughter, who is more than one year old now, is growing up well.
Meanwhile, a Chinese medicine shop operator in Bachang here said two customers came to return two boxes of baby formula suspected to be fake.
"My shop act as middleman where we will return the formula milk boxes to the company and have them conduct laboratory tests before reverting back to the customers involved," he said.
He added that at 5pm yesterday, a representative from Mead Johnson, the company currently embroiled in the fake baby milk formula scandal had come to explain to shop owners on how to differentiate between real and counterfeit milk formula.
Thus far, state Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry chief enforcement officer Azeem Nazuri said the department has yet to receive any formal complaint from consumers but merely received queries from concerned consumers on how to differentiate the product.