In an effort to increase food safety and accountability the Malaysian government is looking to implement a programme requiring fresh produce to be graded, packed and labelled to set standards.
Referred to as the 3P policy, the initiative is designed to ensure the government can more easily identify and locate contaminated produce, reported Malaysian website the Star Online.
Deputy agriculture and agri-based industries minister Chua Tee Yong told the website the policy would allow the ministry to ‘trace and track’ any contaminated produce in the marketplace and withdraw it immediately.
He said it would take some time for the policy to become operational, as it would require coordination with all countries exporting produce to Malaysia.
Malaysia imports most of its fresh produce from neighbouring countries such as China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, reported the website.
Mr Chua said the government was also encouraging domestic growers to adhere to the policy.
The Federation of Vegetable Growers’ Association chairman Tan So Tiok told the website currently around half of the organisation’s 6,000 members practiced the policy.
“This should have been made compulsory a long time ago to ensure produce in the market did not exceed permissible levels of chemical residue,” he said.
