8. Safety Parameters

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods 

Foodstuff/General Foods

It is prohibited to import, prepare, or advertise for sale or sell any food ready for consumption that is contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms.

In these Regulations, "microorganisms and their toxins" include bacteria, fungi, and their toxins. 

Microbiological limits are specified in Table I to the Fifteenth Schedule. Parameters include total plate, coliform, and Escherichia coli counts. Examples of foods that have microbiological standards: 

• Pasteurized milk, pasteurized cream, and milk powder (including full cream and skim milk powder)   
• Ice cream
• Meat  and   meat products ready   for  consumption, excluding meat and meat products in hermetically sealed containers
• Fish and fish products ready for consumption, excluding fish and fish products in hermetically sealed containers
• Infant formula  
• Liquid egg, liquid egg yolk, and liquid egg white
• Dried liquid egg, dried liquid egg yolk, dried liquid egg white

Mycological limits are specified in Table II to the Fifteenth Schedule. Types of contaminants include aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, M1), Ochratoxin A, and Patulin with maximum permitted proportions prescribed for specified foods.

Analysis methods are not specified.

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods 

Foodstuff/General Foods

It is prohibited to import, prepare, or advertise for sale or sell any food that contains metal contaminants or other substances set out in the Fourteenth and Fourteenth A Schedules in a proportion greater than the maximum permitted proportion as specified in the respective Schedule.

Arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony, tin, and 3-MCPD have maximum permitted proportions prescribed for specified food as listed in the Fourteenth and Fourteenth A Schedules.

Analysis methods are not specified.

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods 

Foodstuff/General Foods

Maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides are set out in the Sixteenth Schedule.

It is prohibited to import, prepare for sale, or sell any food:

(a) containing pesticide residue in a proportion greater than the proportion specified for that food in relation to that pesticide residue as set out in the Sixteenth Schedule;

(b) containing pesticide residue in a proportion greater than the proportion specified for that food in relation to that pesticide residue as recommended in the Codex Alimentarius, where the pesticide residue is not specified in the Sixteenth Schedule; or

(c) containing 0.01 milligram or more per kilogram of any pesticide residue, where the pesticide is not specified for that food in the Sixteenth Schedule or Codex Alimentarius.

Notwithstanding point (c), food may contain 0.01 milligram or more per kilogram of any pesticide residue with the prior written approval of the FSQD Director.

Analysis methods are not specified.

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods 

Foodstuff/General Foods

Maximum residue levels (MRLs) of veterinary drug residues are set out in the Fifteenth A Schedule.

- It is prohibited to import, sell, expose, or offer for sale or delivery, any food intended for human consumption which contains drug residues greater than the amount as set out in Table I, to the Fifteenth A Schedule.

- It is prohibited to import, sell, expose, or offer for sale or delivery, any food intended for human consumption which contains the drugs as set out in Table II of the Fifteenth A Schedule, which are beta-agonists excluding ractopamine, nitrofurans, and chloramphenicol

- Either chlortetracycline or oxytetracycline may be incorporated in ice used for preserving fresh fish, and unpeeled shrimps, provided that the concentration of one of these drugs shall not exceed 5 parts per million in the product.

Analysis methods are not specified.

Provision, Limits, Testing Methods 

Foodstuff/General Foods [5]

Provision: 

The use of harmful packages is prohibited. 

Except as otherwise provided in these Regulations, it is prohibited to import, manufacture, advertise for sale or sell, or use or cause or permit to be used in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery or exposure of food for sale, any package, appliance, container or vessel which yields or could yield to its contents, any toxic, injurious or tainting substance, or which contributes to the deterioration of the food. 

Feeding bottles: 

It is prohibited to import, manufacture, or advertise for sale or sell any feeding bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA). The words “BPA free” may be labeled on the feeding bottles or on the packages of the feeding bottles that do not contain Bisphenol A (BPA). 

Ceramic ware: 

“Ceramic ware” means any appliance or package of ceramic article that is used as food ware, made of bone china, porcelain, vitrified china, or earthenware including iron stoneware and stoneware that is operated or intended to be used in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery or exposure of food, for human consumption. Definitions of these said ceramic wares are specified by Regulation 28(2) of Malaysia Food Regulations. [1]

Ceramic ware is classified into the following categories: 

• Category A: porcelain, bone china, fine china, vitrified china, or other classification of ceramic ware with water absorption of not more than 0.4 percent. 
• Category B: earthenware and stoneware. 

Technical requirements for ceramic ware: 

Ceramic ware shall be tested in accordance with the Malaysian Standard MS ISO 6486-1, Ceramic ware, glass-ceramic ware, and glass dinnerware in contact with food – Release of lead and cadmium – Part 1: Test method, and the amount of lead and cadmium released from the ceramic ware does not exceed the maximum permitted proportion as specified in Table I of the Thirteenth Schedule. 

Ceramic ware shall also conform to the specification specified in Table II of the Thirteenth Schedule.

Prohibitions and limits: 

The use of polyvinyl chloride packages containing excess vinyl chloride monomer is prohibited: 

It is prohibited to import, manufacture, advertise for sale or sell or use in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery, or exposure of food for sale, any rigid or semi-rigid package, appliance, container, or vessel, made of polyvinyl chloride which contains: more than 1 mg/kg of vinyl chloride monomer 

Food packaged in polyvinyl chloride container shall not contain excess vinyl chloride monomer: 

It is prohibited to import, prepare, or advertise for sale or sell any food in any rigid or semi-rigid package, appliance, container, or vessel made of polyvinyl chloride if the food contains more than 0.05 mg/kg of vinyl chloride monomer. 

Use of packages for non–food products: 

It is prohibited to use or cause or permit to be used, in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery, or exposure for sale of any food, any package, appliance, container, or vessel that had been used or intended to be used for any non-food product.

Recycling of packages (*)

It is prohibited to use or cause or permit to be used, in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery, or exposure for sale: 

• of any sugar, flour, or meal, any sack that has previously been used for any purpose; 
• of any edible fat or edible oil, any bottle or metal container, other than silos and tankers for edible fat and edible oil, that has previously been used for any purpose; 
• of any food of non-swine origin, any package, appliance, container, or vessel that is intended for use or has been used for any product of swine origin (sus scrofa); 
• of any food, other than that packaged in an extra wrapper, any plastic bottle that has previously been used for any purpose; 
• of any food, other than alcoholic beverage and shandy, any bottle that has previously been used for alcoholic beverage or shandy. 

Note: polycarbonate containers of not less than 20 liters in size that have previously been used for natural mineral water may be used for the same purpose.

Recycled packages: (*)

Except as otherwise provided in specific regulations, it is prohibited to use or cause or permit to be used, in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery, or exposure for sale 

• of any milk, soft drink, alcoholic beverage or shandy, any glass bottle that has previously been used for another food; 
• of any vegetable, fish, or fruit, any box or crate that has previously been used for another food;
• of any polished rice, any gunny sack that has previously been used for another food.

Note: packages of other food that may be recycled for alcoholic beverages, shandy, vegetables, and fruit:

• Any glass bottle that has previously been used for alcoholic beverages may be used for shandy and vice-versa. 
• Any box or crate that has previously been used for vegetables may be used in the preparation, packaging, and storage of fruit and vice-versa.

(*)where a package, appliance, container, or vessel containing food bears any mark or label belonging to another food, it shall be presumed that such package, appliance, container, or vessel has been used for that particular food as shown by such mark or label. 

Use of damaged package: 

It is prohibited to import, prepare, or advertise for sale or sell any food contained in any damaged package or container. “Damages” include chipping or distortion that affects the integrity of the package or container, or the wholesomeness of the product or both; or perforation, corrosion or leakage, or a combination of these.

Toys, coins, etc.

There shall not be placed in food for sale or in packages of such food, any toy, coin, or other article.

Note: for the placing in food or in packages of such food, the following articles are allowed: 

• any article for measuring the recommended quantity of food to be consumed, provided that such article is sterile; 
• the label if the package is made of clear transparent material; and the food contained in the package is not ready for direct consumption; or in the case of food ready for direct consumption, is completely enclosed in its natural shell or pod or interior wrapper such that it has no direct contact or is not likely to come into contact with the label.
• any sachet of reduced iron powder for the purpose of absorbing oxygen (**).

(**) Reduced iron powder: the reduced iron powder shall be enclosed in a sachet in such a manner that the oxygen absorber will not contaminate, taint, or migrate into the food. 

Where the sachet of reduced iron powder is in direct contact with the food, the sachet itself and its label shall be composed of material that will not contaminate, taint, or migrate into the food. 

The sachet of reduced iron powder may contain one or more of the following: calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, carbon, activated, gypsum, iron oxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium stearate, perlite, salt, talc, water, zeolite. 

The sachet of reduced iron powder shall be labeled with the words ‘OXYGEN ABSORBER’ or any word or words having the same or similar effect and shall be followed by the words ‘DO NOT EAT CONTENTS’ and ‘CONTAINS IRON POWDER’.