IT was with great discomfort and dissatisfaction that a number of us read about several incidences of tainted food manufacturing processes over the past few months.

It started with maggots in food substances used to produce belacan (which goes into a wide array of end food products throughout the country and eaten by almost all segments of society), banned toxins in pork meat by producers, who were caught doing so before, and now, recycled cooking oil and banned preservatives used to produce seafood based foodstuff (The Star, Jan 29).

We are talking about toxins going into food consumed by who knows how many of the rakyat and not some petty issue and therefore, appeal to the Malaysian Government to treat the symptomatic (and not one-off) problem with greater seriousness as a nation seeking to develop/modernise, including:

Revising laws/penalties and taking stricter procedural action against those caught in such deplorable acts – in order to minimise incidences of corruption to the detriment of the general public.

For example, how can the pork meat producers who were caught using banned substances before, continue to be in the business?

Conducting regular and surprise checks, by the Health Ministry on food manufacturers.

Compelling manufacturers to undertake nationwide recall of the tainted products – for all you know, you are eating food with the tainted belacan, since they are still in the market and the public does not even know the brand name they carry.

Enhancing transparency by disclosing openly and widely to the public for several days, the names of the irresponsible manufacturers and their individual promoters, and the brand names of their products, not only to allow the consumer market to discipline them but to enable the rakyat to know which brands or manufacturers to avoid.

We are talking about toxins in food consumed by the general public including children, in this age where diseases like cancer, etc. are becoming rampant.

We will keep reading more and more cases of intentional “food poisoning” by irresponsible manufacturers/traders who remain anonymous, nonchalant and undisciplined –whilst their tainted products remain in the consumer market and possibly, on our plates or fridges/cupboards right now.

Unless such stern action is taken, how can we claim to be a developed nation?

BURP,

Kuala Lumpur.

Source: The Star – January 30, 2008