PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed to the formation of a technical committee to ensure food supplies and prices remain stable at all times, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Armizan said this is an effort to improve the present mechanism on stabilising food prices and supplies, where there are price control schemes for each festive season.
“The formation of this technical committee is to strengthen cooperation across ministries, which was previously mobilised on an ad hoc basis.
“With this technical committee, we will ensure that planning is made earlier,” said Armizan during a press conference at the Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Ministry Hari Raya Aidilfitri reception yesterday.
Armizan said the first meeting of the Technical Committee on Stablising the Prices and Supplies of Daily Necessities would be held in May, and would be chaired by his ministry’s secretary general.
“This is a whole-of-nation approach because it involves government agencies and the industry,” said Armizan, who added the ministries on board are Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Plantation and Commodities as well as Agriculture and Food Security.
“It will also consist of permanent and invited members from the industry. If there is a need, we will also involve other agencies in the meeting.”
Armizan also said his ministry would cooperate with the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in removing any imported Indonesian food products from the local market if they contained traces of pig or pork products (porcine DNA).
According to Armizan, his ministry held discussions with Jakim after a recall was issued.
On April 22, Jakim had ordered the immediate recall of several imported food products after an announcement by Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency after a joint investigation with its National Agency of Drug and Food Control found traces of porcine DNA in 11 batches of nine food products.
Of these, nine batches from seven products were found to have halal certification, while two batches came from two products that were uncertified, as listed on https://bpjph.halal.go.id/detail/siaran-pers.
Sirajuddin stated that Jakim is collaborating with the various state Islamic Religious Councils and the Islamic Departments to look out for any flagged products that may have reached Malaysia.
Consumers are encouraged to report sightings of the items in question through Jakim’s portal at https://islam.spab.gov.my/eApps/system/index.do.
