Sun, Oct 12, 2008
New Straits Times
MALAYSIA - ROTI canai -- all buttery, all flaky, all Malaysian goodness?
Not really. Not when the wheat came from the US, the ghee from India and sugar, Fiji.
Our dinner plate today is truly global.
But as food crosses borders and connects people in far-flung places, it leaves the doors open for an unseen partner to creep in.
In 1999, the world reluctantly gave up the guilty pleasures of Belgian chocolates when cancer-causing dioxin was found in animal feed from that country, prompting a meat and dairy product ban.
Most recently the uninvited guest was melamine -- a useful chemical that turned deadly when mixed with milk.
It hitched a ride around the world in milk products that went into biscuits, chocolates and sweets.
"What happens in one country now affects every other country," says Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Ayub Mohd Yatim.
"Globalisation is great but it also means we're more exposed."
And exposure is the big issue now as reports surface that vegetables imported from China could be tainted with melamine naturally released by an approved pesticide when it decomposes.
As authorities here begin to test scores of samples, just how concerned should we be?
Vegetables and fruits are among the chief imports from China.
Last year, Malaysia imported close to RM3 billion worth of fruits and greens from around the world, with 41 per cent from China.
Millions of ringgit of onions, ginger, broccoli, cabbage and potatoes top the list of 21 vegetables, says the Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry.
Of the list of 25 imported fruits, several million tonnes were a fasting month staple -- dates.
Though there have been no positive test results so far, what this teaches us, says Ayub, is that as the variety of food we import and consume grows, so too should our monitoring.
The Health Ministry and other government agencies regularly sample and test food for a long list of common harmful substances, says Ayub.
But melamine isn't a common substance, testing is costly and resources are limited.
"More monitoring means money and it could be an expensive affair -- trained people, special equipment, certified labs... a simple set-up could run into the millions," adds Ayub, who heads the university's training academy for food cleanliness and safety.
But more labs, resources and closer monitoring are one sure way to build trust in the food chain.
The question is, how much is the country willing to spend on it?
"Every year, the variety of food and the number of food chemicals that come into the market increases. The budget for monitoring must keep pace."
And after monitoring, comes enforcement. "If we find something harmful on the shelf, we need to bring the offender to court and fine or imprison him. Practise that and people will be too afraid to tamper with food."
It's not as if the authorities don't take action at all, says Ayub. They just need to do more.
The Consumers Association of Penang says only full and effective enforcement of the law will protect consumers.
For instance, there is zero tolerance for the presence of bacteria or E. coli in food under the law.
But, time and time again, during its surveys, the group has found the presence of E. coli in food, says its president S.M. Mohamed Idris.
Both Ayub and Idris add that the authorities need to deal with offenders more sternly.
The punishment is too light as a person found guilty of preparing or selling food containing substances injurious to health faces a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a jail term of up to 10 years, or both.
That's an amount a big company might gladly pay, says Ayub.
The punishment must be a deterrent, argues Ayub.
"People have to know that if they do something wrong, they will be caught."
It boils down to compliance, he says.
Take food labelling -- Ayub says in his surveys, he often finds that many food producers don't comply with the law.
The food item is wrongly named often a manufacturer will leave out an address and the labels carry unsubstantiated claims.
The last is also a sticking point with the Malaysian Association of Standards Users.
Its chief executive officer, Ratna Devi Nadarajan, says labels of food products in the country are often misleading, carrying uncertified claims of being organic to "super" this or that.
Malaysia is also a long way off from introducing laws that require manufacturers and producers to label the source of some ingredients, the way the United States has.
Ayub adds there is a need for a better documentation system to trace the origin of food.
At present, the authorities have to check with the manufacturers to find out the source of ingredients.
"If the melamine scare has taught us one thing, it's that we need good documentation now."
Another more basic problem the country needs to address is its growing food poisoning problem, says Ayub.
While concern over the globe-trotting melamine contamination is justified, he feels just as much effort should be placed in reducing our poisoning cases.
Between 2002 and 2005, food poisoning cases dropped only to spike again in 2006.
Last year, 14,455 cases were reported.
Again, Ayub blames it on compliance.
"Food handlers get training. They have the knowledge but do they put it into practice?" he asks.
"When inspectors come by, the workers rush to put on clean aprons, caps and wash their hands... why?"
We have guidelines that direct a food producer on the "good" practices, procedures and environment of food production.
The problem lies in the fact that standards and guidelines are voluntary.
The only real force that can ensure change, says Ayub, is the consumer. "Don't do the typical Malaysian thing and say a little bit of contamination won't kill. Be vocal, complain."
