Kuala lumpur: Two companies, an ice supplier and a frozen food manufacturer, have agreed to postpone their product price hikes after being summoned by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to explain the rationale behind the price review. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said during the meeting last Tuesday, both companies were given appropriate advice and instructed to consult the Enforcement Division of KPDN before implementing any price adjustments.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the companies announced on Tuesday (July 1) that the price hike would be postponed. Armizan stated, “We have advised that if the matter is true, they must submit the necessary information as stipulated under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011,” during a press gathering at the Strategic Partner Appreciation Ceremony in conjunction with the KPDN Enforcement Day celebration.

Armizan also clarified that the two companies explained the price hike was not associated with the revised Sales and Services Tax (SST) rate or its expanded scope but was due to higher operating costs. Claims that Sim Yang Hok Industries Sdn Bhd would raise the price of a block of ice to RM6 from RM3.70, and that Ramly Burger had implemented a 10 percent price hike effective 1 July 2025, have recently gone viral on social media.

The ice supplier dismissed the viral post connecting the price increase to the SST scope expansion as false and lodged a police report for further investigation. Additionally, Ramly Burger has been issued a Goods Information Verification Notice (NPMB) under Section 21 of the AKHAP 2011 to review the grounds for the proposed price revision.

Armizan emphasized that KPDN would bolster its monitoring and conduct transparent investigations to prevent profiteering and ensure that consumers are not unduly burdened.