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| Agenda Item 4 | Conference Room Document 80 |
second fao/who global forum of food safety regulators
Bangkok, Thailand, 12-14 October 2004
(Prepared by Malaysia)
Food safety today is a diverse and complex issue. With globalization and market liberalization, trade in food has increased tremendously and this has raised new concerns for public health. From an economic view point, the food trade can be an important source of foreign exchange and at the same time the industry can provide job opportunities for growth and development of the local economy.
In Malaysia, there is recognition of the need to provide the necessary infrastructure for development of the food industry. Initiatives are now being enabled to meet the challenging demands towards ensuring food safety whilst minimizing barriers to trade. Programme strategies that have been strengthened include setting laws that meet with international requirements, emphasis on import and export control and providing the framework for industry and food producers to implement quality assurance systems. These are achieved through activities such as formulation and review of legislations and standards, strengthening enforcement, promoting Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), improving data management, and increased participation in international activities related to food safety. The industry on the other hand will need to focus on being competitive and exploring new markets.
Many factors contribute to the expansion and diversification of the food trade. Firstly, the disciplines of food microbiology, food chemistry and food technology are continuously providing a broader range of foods by developing new and more sophisticated preservation, processing and packaging techniques which make foods safer, less perishable and more attractive to the consumer. Secondly, rapid transport and improved handling methods have reduced the length of time and difficulties associated with moving food long distances, thus allowing traders access to new and far-away markets. Thirdly, consumers' tastes and food habits have become more varied and their incomes and purchasing power have risen, stimulating the demand for traditional and new foods from other regions.
The ever increasingly longer and more complex food supply chain today in this country as well as in most rapidly developing countries means that there is a diversity of stakeholders involved in food safety. This may be through direct involvement or via a less direct and subtle influence. Malaysia has always taken a comprehensive “farm to table” approach to food safety. Getting the policy makers and political masters together to focus on and be committed on food safety is ideal in introducing comprehensive food safety measures. Towards this end, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has established the National Food Safety and Nutrition Council in December 2001, a multisectoral forum to set clear policies and strategies for the continuous improvement of the food safety programme.
It involves relevant government agencies, industry and consumer representatives as well as other stakeholders from farm to table. The Minister of Health chairs the Council and within the offices of this Council, policies on food safety and nutrition are integrated with other national policies to address, amongst others, health, economic and trade issues. The National Food Safety and Nutrition Council is the highest advisory body to the Cabinet on issues related to food safety and nutrition.
All in all, there are 22 agencies represented with the Minister of Health as the Chairperson, and the Food Safety and Quality Division and the Family Health Division as Joint Secretariat. The outcome and resolution of the Council are reported directly to the Cabinet. In so far as private sector involvement, dialogues are frequently held and the industry is represented at most national level policy and technical meetings. This would enable a more comprehensive approach to food safety on the basis of smart partnership and shared responsibility and encourage industry's commitment and consumer involvement in implementing the strategies for food safety.
Food safety control measures instituted by the government is supported by the legal system where the industries have to comply with the legislation and the consumers must be knowledgeable and make informed choices in selecting their food.
Food legislation is one of the three fundamentals in the Food Quality Programme in many countries including Malaysia. The Food Act 1983 is the principal food legislation of Malaysia and the Food Regulations 1985 is its subsidiary legislation enforced by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. The main objectives of the legislations are to ensure food safety and protect consumers from fraud in the preparation and sale of food.
The Food Act 1983 lays down the powers of the Minister, enforcement officers and analysts in carrying out their duties under the act and its regulations. The Food Regulations 1983 is a comprehensive legislation which covers a spectrum of standards for the various categories of food from raw to processed foods, the use of additives, contaminants, packaging and labeling. It is the minimal mandatory standards to be complied for food sold in the country either locally produced or imported food.
The legislation forms the foundation of the food control system across the continuum of the food supply chain from the production level at the upstream, middle stream and to downstream level. At the production level, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has an advisory role on the proper use of veterinary drugs by the livestock producers. The application of pesticides is controlled by the Department of Agriculture, whilst the maximum residue levels are regulated under the Food Regulations 1985. Currently veterinary drug registration is under the jurisdiction of the Pharmacy Division of the Ministry of Health (the Poison Act 1952).
The legislation is updated regularly to keep up with the developments in food technology and consumers demand. Amendments to the regulations need to be carefully considered in order to balance between the consumer safety and facilitation of trade. Codex Alimentarius is used as the main reference and to the extent possible, amendments are based on these standards in an effort to harmonise the Food Regulations 1985 with Codex..
Forthcoming regulations include those on Genetically Modified Food (GMF), Food Irradiation and Food Hygiene as well as the Food Analyst Act. The Food Irradiation Regulations is based on the ASEAN Harmonised Regulations on Food Irradiation whilst the Food Hygiene Regulations and the Food Import Regulations are based on Codex requirements.
Apart from laws, various guidelines have been developed for use at various stages from farm to table to assist the food producers and industries in their food quality assurance program including “Guidelines on HACCP Certification” and “Guidelines on Good Hygiene Practices for Small and Medium Scale Food Industries Towards HACCP.”
In view of the rapid development of small and medium scale industries (SMIs) in this country, a systematic and efficient monitoring and surveillance programme on SMIs has been undertaken. The objective of this program is to ensure that SMIs produce safe and quality food.
Various agencies including the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and Small and Medium Industries Development Cooperation (SMIDEC) under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) play an active role in promoting GMP and the application of the HACCP.
The Malaysian Certification Scheme (MCS) for HACCP was developed to provide a uniform certification scheme for food industries. The MOH developed the HACCP Certification Scheme since 1997 to enhance the safety of the food produced in Malaysia for domestic and export market. The scheme consists of certification and surveillance activities of the HACCP system and provides formal recognition to food premises that have effectively implemented the HACCP system. With the introduction of the scheme, the MOH is encouraging the implementation of HACCP system in food industries in line with global trends in food safety.
The primary aim of the scheme is to enhance the production of safe food. This is to promote confidence in the industry and the better acceptance of food in the domestic and international market. The scheme will be implemented based on the ‘Tripartite Management' approach which involves the government, pool of independent auditors and the food industries. Through this approach, the food industries will be more responsible and accountable in producing safe quality food.
The scheme is administered by the MOH, which requires the food premises to set up and implement a HACCP system that meets the MCS HACCP criteria, followed by the application and granting of the certification. The certification process includes adequacy, compliance and any follow-up audits by appointed certified third party auditors. The MOH will verify the maintenance of the certified HACCP system through surveillance audit by its own auditors.
The Department of Veterinary Division (DVS) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry also certifies various Quality Assurance Schemes and Good Animal Husbandry Practice (GAHP) at the farm level. The Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry has also implemented the farm accreditation scheme to ensure Good Agriculture Practice (GAP). The Veterinary Health Mark Logo is a mark of quality and safety given to plants processing livestock products, awarded under the Veterinary Inspection and Accreditation Programme of the DVS. It also signifies the complete compliance by the plants to the minimum standards of hygiene and sanitation, quality assurance and food safety set by DVS, verified through the process of plant inspection, examination and auditing (adequacy, compliance, follow-up, surveillance and review audits) of the food safety quality system such as HACCP, GHP and GMP. The Veterinary Health Mark Logo scheme is recognized by relevant competent authorities and this enables the establishments to export their products.
Import control programmes in Malaysia are coordinated to ensure safe and sufficient food supply in the country. The development of an effective control system to monitor food imports should be ongoing and should include procedures to allow adequate follow-up action where food consignments contravene the national food import regulations. The DVS controls import of animal products such as meat, milk, eggs and others for human consumption or otherwise in relation to animal health as well as quality of these products. Import requirements set by DVS include import documentation, veterinary inspection and random sampling at entry points. The Department also facilitates export of animal products in accordance to requirements of importing countries. The enforcement officers under the Ministry of Health work closely with other department in inspection and sampling of food for analysis in ensuring that the food for human consumption are safe and pose no hazard to the population.
In order to facilitate control at entry points MOH has developed the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM). This system requires all importers and agents to register with MOH for an identification number and password. They can then notify electronically their import or make an import declaration through the customs information system. This import notification will be channeled to relevant agencies for further action such as sampling, ban or clearance. The final decision will be transmitted electronically to the customs and agents.
Data on food safety activities is now being compiled in an electronic database. With networking being established, such data can be kept up to date. Entry points are being equipped with network link for better data management and the main entry points are linked on-line with customs and other relevant agencies for better monitoring and faster food inspection and clearance. This system tracks food imports and can be used to earmark banned consignments or foods affected in food safety crises. This system enables harmonization of surveillance system at entry points. It will also facilitate clearance with minimal documentation. This interfacing between the Food Safety Information system and Customs Information System was jointly developed with the aid of the Japanese Government through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The need for an effective and efficient food safety programme and implementation in the country is more evident today due to increase in food trade and the rapidly changing trading environment. In this regard, a concerted effort is required by all relevant agencies including the industry. This would enable a more comprehensive farm to table approach to food safety on the basis of smart partnership and shared responsibility and encourage industry commitment and consumer involvement in implementing the strategies for food safety. In view of increased food trade and globalisation, it is pertinent that the industry and other stakeholders work towards addressing food safety not just from a public health perspective but in the light of facilitation of trade and as a catalyst for national economic development. Malaysia has taken seriously the perspective that food safety should be addressed by all stakeholders. The implementation of quality assurance system for food including HACCP should be based on the need for self accountability. Nevertheless legislative infrastructure is crucial to enforce safety measures, as well as to ensure that imported food is safe.