KUALA LUMPUR: The National Food Safety Policy (DKMK) 2.0 will serve as a guide to strengthen food safety controls along the country's food supply chain, says the Health Ministry.
In a statement on Sunday (Sept 28), the Ministry said the policy would also ease domestic and international food trade.
“This proves the government's commitment to transforming food safety controls in line with global developments, making Malaysia a country that prioritises food safety to preserve and improve the well-being of the people,” it added.
The policy was launched on Friday (Sept 26) during the 18th meeting of the National Food Safety and Nutrition Council (MKMPK-18), chaired by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad at the ministry headquarters. Representatives from 13 ministries and four non-governmental organisations were present.
DKMK 2.0 is implemented through the National Food Security Action Plan 2024-2030 via 17 main strategies and three supporting strategies, with indicators to be achieved by 2030.
Meanwhile, two proposals were proposed and approved during the MKMPK-18 meeting.
These include the Health Ministry’s proposed update of the national nutrition policy and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s suggested use of red palm oil supplements to improve children’s nutrition.
“(These suggestions) were agreed to in principle and will be refined with input from other ministries and agencies before being presented to the Cabinet,” the statement said.
The meeting also discussed the five-year review of regulations under the Food Act 1983, the setting of national maximum residue limits (MRL) for pesticides, the monitoring of aflatoxin levels in dried fruits sold locally, and updates on improvements to Malaysian standards for palm oil and palm kernel oil specifications related to food safety and quality.
“The Health Ministry is committed to ensuring public health and well-being by continuously strengthening food safety and nutrition.
“There will be no compromise on these aspects if they risk people’s health,” it added.
