Gerakan Public Health & Quality of Life Bureau Chief, Dato’ Dr Ng Keong Chye today gives a thumb up to the Ministry of Health for taking the initiative to carry out spot checks on dried pork products after the incident of poisonous pork which concerns a lot of consumers nationwide. Dr Ng said that the Ministry of Health should continue with such effort to ensure that the food and beverages supplied in the market are safe for consumption.

Dr Ng is making the above statement with response to the latest news where three dried pork products have been recalled after being tested to be unsafe for consumption, one of it being the famous Wo Lai Ye company. The company blamed the factory for the incident which Dr Ng finds unacceptable. A company with such high status and fame should have their own quality control team to ensure the quality of the products, hence, there should not be any excuse for such negligence.

For offences in relation to food containing substances injurious to health, subsection 13(1) of the Food Act 1983, “Any person who prepares or sells any food that has in or upon it any substance which is poisonous, harmful or otherwise injurious to health commits an offence and shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both”. However, Dr Ng is in the opinion that the penalty should be higher to serve as an effective deterrent to all the F&B industry players. In fact, a fine of not more than RM100,000 is not a large sum for the big players in the F&B industry and Dr Ng is in the opinion that the fine amount in the Act should be reviewed and revised to a higher figure.

Dr Ng who is also the Pahang Ketari Assemblyman said that the Ministry should carry out more random spot checks on various food products in the market on a regular basis to ensure the safety of the consumers.