KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH) continuously monitors and enforces food safety, including imported food, under the Food Act 1983 and its regulations through the Food Safety and Quality Programme (FSQP) at all entry points into the country.
In a statement, the MOH said this follows reports from The Thai Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) and several local media regarding Shine Muscat grapes containing pesticide residues exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL) allowed.
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“Continuous monitoring is conducted at all 70 entry points nationwide, involving various control and compliance activities for all imported foods, including fruits and vegetables. These activities include document inspection, physical inspection, label inspection, sample collection, and detention at importers’ warehouses.
“The FSQP continually enhances monitoring of imported food consignments through the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM), which employs a six-level risk-based inspection approach,” the statement read.
The statement also mentioned that in Malaysia, pesticide residues were regulated under Regulation 41 of the Food Regulations 1985, which referred to the international Codex standards.
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“Based on MOH data, from 2020 until September 2024, a total of 5,561 samples of imported vegetables and fruits were analysed for pesticide residues, with 165 samples (2.97 per cent) found non-compliant with the MRL under the Food Regulations 1985,” the statement said.
In this regard, the MOH clarified that entry clearance would only be granted if the analysis results complied with the MRL set, and import bans would be imposed in cases of repeated violations.
