PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should invest more in food safety to ensure contaminants can be detected before distribution, says an expert in public health and health economics.
Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said cancer-inducing substances like ethylene oxide, which Taiwanese authorities found in a batch of instant noodles from Malaysia, should have been detected if it was above the permissible levels.
Unfortunately, she added, Malaysia’s enforcement and health safety controls were lacking.
According to Sharifa, it was unlikely that Malaysian authorities would detect contaminants in exported food products unless they were alerted by other countries.
She said Taiwan was probably able to detect ethylene oxide, a chemical compound associated with lymphoma and leukaemia, because its investment in food safety is higher and more robust.
“Their food technology is better and more sensitive to (detecting substances in) imported foods, especially if it’s coming from middle-income countries,” she said.
“Our enforcement and controls are lacking, and this leaves a bad impression of food control in Malaysia.”
According to the health ministry’s food safety and quality division, food consignments which the country exports must comply with the laws of importing countries. Similarly, importers must also ensure strict adherence to the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 with respect to the type of food to be imported.
Sharifa said that while Malaysia carried out sampling of food for additives and contaminants, it did not do so for all types of food as there were too many to test.
Ethylene oxide, which is commonly used as a pesticide or sterilising agent, is poisonous when consumed or inhaled. It can seriously irritate the skin and eyes of anyone who comes into contact with the substance, which can also lead to birth and hereditary defects.
Yesterday, health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said the ministry had ordered a recall of a batch of locally produced “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” after Taipei’s health department said it contained ethylene oxide.
Radzi said that despite the instant noodles having met local compliance standards, the recall was carried out to ensure food safety.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM) deputy president Beninder Singh said it was “quite embarrassing” for a foreign country to identify issues with a food product produced in Malaysia.
“We have a set of comprehensive laws to regulate food safety, but the authorities must step up enforcement. Currently, this is lacking,” he added.
He urged the health ministry to increase the frequency of its product checks, adding that strict action must be taken against those in violation of food safety standards.
Fa E Fa Sdn Bhd, the Penang-based manufacturer that produces the white curry noodles, told FMT on Wednesday that it had sent its noodles for testing and was expecting the results to be out in a week.
The company’s spokesman said the batch of noodles tested by Taipei’s health department was from last year and it was no longer being sold locally as the stocks had finished. - FMT
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