PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to strengthen efforts to make food safety a national culture, starting from the kitchen of every home to the industry level.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, said food safety is not only a domestic issue but a global challenge, where according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 600 million people worldwide fall ill due to foodborne diseases each year.
In Malaysia, although there was a 23 per cent decrease in food poisoning cases (204 cases) from January to May this year compared to last year, there is still much room for improvement, especially in enhancing food literacy among the people.
“The MOH, through the Food Safety and Quality Programme, continues to drive various initiatives including the recognition of Clean, Smoke-Free Premises (BeBAS), Clean and Safe Premises (BeSS), and the establishment of the National Centre for Food Safety (NCFS) as a centre of excellence in risk assessment and science-based policies,“ he said in a post on his Facebook account today.
Dr Dzulkefly said that the Ekspo Makanan Selamat (eMAS) 2025 and National-Level World Food Safety Day Celebration launched this morning serve as important platforms to strengthen awareness, advocacy, and cooperation among various parties in ensuring that the food served daily is safe, clean and of high quality. - Bernama
