KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Health Ministry to tighten regulations for food sellers to ensure they adhere to strict food preparation hygiene standards to curb cases of food poisoning.
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said that poor food preparation hygiene could lead to food poisoning, which can have fatal consequences.
She also urged Malaysians to report unhygienic practices in the food industry to the authorities.
“Under the law, all food premises as defined in the regulations must comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, therefore, food handler training is compulsory for all food handlers.
“They must undergo a medical examination and receive a typhoid vaccination, which is compulsory for all those involved in the food and beverage industry.
“Via digitalisation, the Health Ministry should also monitor and send reminders to food and beverage sellers concerning their typhoid vaccination status.
“We urge the government to also audit all typhoid vaccinations given to food handlers as there are unregistered typhoid vaccines in the market used by unscrupulous parties,” she said.
“(Despite) several raids conducted by the authorities and enforcement action taken, this issue persisted,” she added.
Dr Azizan said the Statista Research Department showed that in 2022, there were approximately 14,293 food poisoning cases caused by food and water-borne diseases reported.
This data, she said, was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic and the number continued to rise post-pandemic.
“The Health Ministry data showed that just last year, in 2023, there were 51 cases of food poisoning for every 100,000 people in the country.
“(Despite) our local cuisine ranked among the best in the world, the same cannot be said about our standards of food hygiene, particularly our street food outlets, as it is uncommon to see no separation in handling food and money (at these vendors).
“In many outlets, food is being prepared in unhygienic conditions, while many food stalls and caterers are known to be operating illegally. The list goes on, but what are the authorities doing about it?
“Occasionally, a restaurant is closed by the authorities and the owner is slapped with a fine, but we see no improvement. Everyone closes one eye and carries on,” she said.
To curb this issue, she emphasised that the authorities must insist all food sellers be properly licensed with the necessary certification from the authorities, as well as be properly educated on the standard of food hygiene.
She also urged the authorities to regularly inspect premises that prepare foods for sale. – July 28, 2024