Materia Medica Malaysiana

National Food Safety Policy launched

KUALA LUMPUR July 14 - The Government on Monday launched the National Food Safety Policy and its action plan with a view to protecting people's health and the national economy.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng said the policy covered all aspects of the food network from the time it left the farm to the point where it was served on the table.

The policy would also help improve the system of production, distribution, food promotion and boost economic activities in the country, he said when launching the policy at the Pan Pacific Hotel here

The action plan would help indicate the level of achievement of the various agencies of the policy objectives, Chua said.

The food industry had a turnover of about RM20 billion last year with food imports totalling RM12.4 million and exports amounting to RM7.6 billion.

Chua said Malaysia's food industry could suffer a setback if food items meant for export were polluted and affect health if consumed.

By way of example, he said Malaysia's pork exports were badly affected when the Nipah Encephalitis virus hit parts of the country in 1999 and Malaysia on it part banned beef imports from Europe at one time because of the brain-wasting Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or mad cow disease.

The national food safety policy envisaged good aquaculture, agricultural and livestock farming practices as well as clean and excellent production practices, he said.

The policy contained elements to detect the origin of the food product in the network chain using real time information communication technology.

The policy would be supported by effective enforcement, supervision and monitoring, Chua said.

Twenty government agencies and non-governmental organisations were directly involved in the implementation of the policy and the existing 14 public health laboratories would monitor the food safety aspect, he added.