November 2006
November 2006
Extract from the Report of the 15th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Asia, Seoul , Korea , 21 - 24 November 2006 (See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/664/al30_15e.pdf )
Malaysia adopts an integrated approach involving various ministries, departments and agencies involved in the national food control system. Malaysia has also established the National Food Safety and Nutrition Council to act as advisory body to the government on food safety issues and policy. The Ministry of Health serves as the national Codex Contact Point and secretariat to the National Codex Committee. Consumers and the public are also actively involved in standard setting at the national level.
Codex standards have been very useful as a reference in developing national standards and Malaysia strongly supports harmonization of national standards with those of Codex. Risk analysis principles have yet to be fully implemented and adopted. The challenge is the lack of expertise to undertake risk assessment as well as the unavailability of quality data. However, efforts are being made to strengthen expertise in the area of risk assessment in collaboration with research institutes and universities to ensure availability of quality data.
2001
Food safety responsibilities throughout Malaysia are executed through a system of administration including the central, state, district and local authority levels. Within the Ministry of Health, the Food Quality Control Unit, which was established in 1974, is responsible for: the overall technical supervision of food safety activities; formulation of legislation, codes of practice and guidelines; determination of food safety policies; adoption of food sampling and food premises inspection strategies; and coordination of activities at the state and district levels.
At the state level, plans for sampling and inspection programmes are drawn up for the whole state. Liaison and coordination with local authorities within the state are made through the state government, while liaison with other relevant government departments is made through the State Food Quality Control Committee. This committee was set up in all states in 1975 to coordinate enforcement activities. Members of the committee include officers from various government departments, local authorities and consumer organizations.
District level personnel are responsible for the enforcement of food hygiene and safety. They are involved in prosecution work, collection of food samples, inspection of food premises and promotion of health education. District level personnel liaise with local authorities in the district regarding distribution of work and frequently assist local authorities in the performance of their duties.
Local authorities vary in size and number of personnel. The larger local authorities have their own medical officer of health and health inspectors. Smaller local authorities employ only health inspectors with the district Medical Officer of Health acting as adviser.
Various guidelines and circulars are issued to food safety enforcement officers to ensure effectiveness and uniformity in food safety administration activities. To stimulate public awareness of food hygiene, posters and pamphlets are prepared and distributed, and health education programmes are occasionally relayed through the mass media.
The Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) lays down standards for various food products. It also provides an opportunity for food manufacturers to subject their products voluntarily to testing. If products satisfy the standards, they may use the SIRIM mark as an indicator of quality on their products.
The Fourth Plan, adopted by the Malaysian Government in 1974 assigns the responsibility for food hygiene and safety to the Food Quality Control Unit and independent implementation of the Sale of Food and Drugs Ordinance and Regulation of 1952 to the State Health Department. Food quality control services were reviewed in 1978 to strengthen the infrastructure and plan the various programmes and activities connected with the Fourth Plan. In 1982, the Food Quality Control Unit introduced further improvements in food quality control services.
Targets set for routine sampling in 1982 were 15 samples per health district per month, of which 19% were microbiological samples. The national targets for Peninsular Malaysia totaled 11 520 samples in 1982.
Monitoring of foods for export is done for the purpose of issuing health certificates for export items like frozen prawns, edible oils, fish and fish products. Imported foods are randomly sampled.
At the central level, there are 4 health officers and 4 health inspectors, while at the state level, there are about 62 health officers and 80 health inspectors responsible for food safety enforcement activities. Health officers generally supervise health inspectors in the seizure of food and closure of food premises. Health inspectors are responsible for food sampling, inspection of food establishments, health education, seizure of food and prosecution cases.
Health inspectors are secondary school graduates who have undergone three years of formal Royal Society of Health training at the Public Health Institute. The training includes sections on food technology, food hygiene, law and legal procedures, health education, environmental health, epidemiology, communicable disease control and statistics.
Food quality control laboratories were established in conformity with the Food Act and its regulations as an integrated effort to strengthen food quality control services in Malaysia. Government laboratories for food quality control services consist of the Chemistry Department, the Food Quality Control Laboratory (Ministry of Health), the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute and the Institute of Medical Research. Accredited private laboratories also provide food analytical services.
These laboratories provide analytical support for food sampling activities and certification of food products for export. A Laboratory Procedural Manual for Food Quality Control provides the microbiological and chemical methods which are considered acceptable.
Each state health department compiles monthly reports on food quality control activities from the districts and submits them to the Ministry of Health at the central level. The data are compiled and analyzed to evaluate programme performance.
In Malaysia, training facilities in general food safety are available at the Public Health Institute, while the University of Science and the University of Agriculture offer degree courses in food technology The University of Agriculture and the Institute of Technology also offer diploma courses in food technology.
The Food Act 1983 (Act 281 of the Laws of Malaysia) and its regulations are the primary legislative documents for food safety activities in Malaysia. The regulations deal with such subjects as food hygiene, labelling, import and export, advertising and laboratories, and also contain numerous and detailed food standards. A draft Food Inspection manual, which is linked to the Food Act 1983 and its subsidiary is being developed.
The Code of Practice for Food Hygiene, which covers the registration and inspection of all food establishments was approved in May 1980. In the same year, the Code of Practice for the Export of Frozen Cooked Prawns was introduced, and, in 1982, the Code of Practice Applying to School Canteens was adopted. A final draft of the Code of Health inspectors are secondary school graduates who have Practice for Processing and Refining Edible Palm Oil and Palm Stearin is nearing final approval.
The health inspection activities in Kuala Lumpur are determined by its own by-laws, which, in their main points, are similar to the codes of practice and regulations of the Ministry of Health. Among the most useful of these by-laws is the Hawkers' (Federal Territory) By-Law 1978 established under the Local Government Act 1976. Although it applies to street sellers of any goods, it is mainly used to regulate food stalls. The By-Law, which is enforced by the Hawkers Division of the municipal Health Department, provides a useful instrument for controlling food stalls through licensing and inspection.
Medical personnel are required to notify the Ministry of Health (either at the district, state or central levels) of all cases of food poisoning. National statistics on outbreaks of foodborne diseases are compiled annually, but such statistics are not complete, and, in many instances, the outbreaks are not fully investigated. In the past, no laboratory in the country was capable of testing the presence of microorganisms or toxins in incriminated foods. Efforts have been made to develop the capabilities of the Bacteriology Division of the Institute of Medical Research.
Most of the reported incidences of food poisoning are due to Staphylococcus and Salmonella. Notifiable foodborne diseases are botulism, unspecified food poisoning and illness due to Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus.
Information last updated - January 2007