PETALING JAYA: A local face mask producer and consumer group have welcomed the government’s move to require mandatory Sirim certification and labelling for non-medical face masks.
Ideal Healthcare Sdn Bhd chief executive Haminnuddin Hamid said the requirement would address the abundance of poor-quality non-medical face masks in the Malaysian market.
Apart from ensuring that these masks produced locally or imported comply with safety standards, Haminnuddin said the Sirim approval would also prevent locally produced face masks with questionable quality from flooding international markets as Malaysia is one of the top producers.
He added that as the country transitions into the endemic phase of the virus, it was important for consumers to use good quality masks which would give them better protection against the virus.
“Currently, there are many low-quality non-medical masks imported from China that are not safe to use,” he told FMT.
“Low-quality non-medical face masks do not have good filtration compared to surgical masks, which have a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of over 98%.”
Meanwhile, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) CEO Saravanan Thambirajah hoped that the certification would not be used as a ruse for local mask manufacturers to increase the price of the items.
“Local manufacturers produce millions of masks and make huge profits. I don’t think the certification cost would burden them financially,” he added.
The government has decided to postpone the implementation of the mandatory MS Sirim certification and labelling for non-medical face masks to Jan 1, 2023, with domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Alexander Nanta Linggi stating the decision was made based on public feedback.
He added that the postponement would allow the industry and consumers to adjust to the ministry’s safety standards. - FMT
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