KUCHING: Be a wise consumer. Select raw materials or food products which are clean and of quality from the market for your family or customers.
This is the advice of Sarawak Health Department director Dr Chin Zin Hing to the public on Saturday in his World Food Safety Day message.
The second World Food Safety Day is celebrated on Sunday with the aim of drawing attention and increasing community awareness towards food safety globally.
Dr Chin said in accordance with the national level celebration’s theme this year — “Food Safety in Markets”— everyone had a role to play through the concept of ‘farm to table’ to ensure that the food obtained was safe and would not be harmful to health.
He pointed out that food safety was a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers.
All must work together to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks, thereby contributing to food safety, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development.
He added all challenges in terms of enforcement activities, promotions, inter-agency cooperation, monitoring, sales, distribution, and daily operations with the new normal must not affect the level of food safety and the health of the community.
Dr Chin said that together with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Safety Day would be celebrated at the health department level suited to the position of Malaysia as a member state.
“WHO’s campaign ‘Food Safety, Everyone’s Business’ is orientated to promoting food safety awareness globally and calling countries and policy makers, private sector, organisations, and the general community to take actions within their respective capacities.
Dr Chin thanked all his staff, especially those in the Food Safety and Quality Division, as well as relevant agencies for taking up the task of protecting the community and industries in matters of food safety in Sarawak.
He urged all parties to persevere with this sincere effort and to be patient under normal circumstances or during the movement control order (MCO) and conditional movement control order (CMCO) periods.
“Let’s unite in increasing awareness, concern and responsibility towards food safety within the community, especially in Sarawak,” he said.
