Kota Kinabalu: Two food import companies were fined a total of RM8,100 by the Magistrates’ Court here on Tuesday for importing fresh mandarins containing excessive pesticide residue.
LLS Fresh Fruits Marketing Sdn Bhd was fined RM6,500, in default of which a warrant of levy will be issued against the company, after its representative pleaded guilty before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin to importing fresh mandarins containing Chlorpyrifos residue at 0.041mg/kg.
The offence was committed on Jan 15 this year at the company’s premises at HSK Industry Warehouse Centre, Mile 10, Penampang.
The company was charged under Section 13B(4) of the Food Act 1983 for contravening Regulation 41(3)(c) of the Food Regulations 1985, which prohibits the import of food containing pesticide residue of 0.01mg/kg or more where no limit is specified under the Sixteenth Schedule or the Codex Alimentarius.
Health Prosecuting Officer Adrian Adrin Annah told the court that authorised officers collected a random one-kilogram sample of the imported fresh mandarins during an inspection on Jan 15.
The sample was sent to the Kota Kinabalu Public Health Laboratory for analysis, and a report dated March 9 confirmed the presence of Chlorpyrifos residue at 0.041mg/kg.
In mitigation, the company’s representative appealed for the minimum fine, saying the company was unaware the imported mandarins contained the prohibited pesticide residue.
Urging the court to impose an appropriate sentence, Adrian submitted that Chlorpyrifos is a widely used insecticide associated with serious public health concerns.
He said excessive exposure to the pesticide could cause nervous system poisoning, long-term neurological effects, adverse health effects on children and pregnant women, as well as damage to other organs.
Adrian further informed the court that this was the company’s second similar offence since 2025 and argued that a guilty plea should not automatically warrant a lighter sentence where public interest was at stake.
He submitted that public health must take precedence over commercial profit and urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a lesson to the company and reinforce the importance of ensuring imported food is safe for public consumption.
Meanwhile, Lo Siew Lin Sdn Bhd was fined RM1,600, or one day’s jail in default, after its representative pleaded guilty before Magistrate Dzul Elmy Yunus to a similar offence.
The company was found to have imported fresh mandarins containing Chlorpyrifos residue at 0.035mg/kg during an inspection at its premises along Jalan Tuaran on Jan 28 this year.
The company was charged under the same provision of the Food Act 1983.
Health Prosecuting Officer Sobrin Supin told the court that authorised officers collected a random sample of the imported fruit, which was later analysed by the Kota Kinabalu Public Health Laboratory.
The laboratory report dated March 9 confirmed the presence of Chlorpyrifos residue at 0.035mg/kg.
In mitigation, the company’s representative said it was the company’s first offence, that it had fully cooperated throughout the investigation, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and would ensure compliance with statutory requirements in future.
Sobrin urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a lesson to importers and emphasise the importance of ensuring food imported into the country is safe for public consumption.
He submitted that Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide widely used in agriculture but is associated with significant public health concerns.
He said exposure to excessive pesticide residue could cause skin irritation, numbness, tingling, burning sensations, loss of bladder control and seizures.
Ingestion could overstimulate the nervous system, resulting in nausea, persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, unconsciousness, coma and, in severe cases, death.
Both companies paid their fines.
