VOLUNTARY HOME-BASED FOOD LISTING PROGRAMME AIMS TO PROMOTE CLEAN, SAFE PRACTICES

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- The home-based food operators listing programme is voluntary and aims to encourage clean and safe food preparation processes among home-based food entrepreneurs, according to Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni.

He said that applications for the listing, introduced in April 2021, are not legally mandatory, unlike other certifications implemented by the Ministry of Health (MOH), such as the Food Safety is the Responsibility of the Industry (MeSTI) certification or the Clean and Safe (BeSS) recognition.

"The MOH is committed to further increasing the participation of home-based food entrepreneurs in the programme. As an initial step, the MOH has adopted a self-compliance approach along with ongoing awareness promotion activities on clean and safe food preparation.

"This voluntary approach aims to enhance the formalisation of clean and safe food preparation activities, including food handler training, anti-typhoid vaccination, food labelling, self-inspection, and registering entrepreneurs in the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM) database," he said during a Q&A session.

He said this in response to a question from Zahir Hassan (PH-Wangsa Maju) on whether the ministry plans to make the Home-based Food Operators Listing Programme mandatory for all home-based entrepreneurs.

Lukanisman added that the implementation of any conditions or regulations for voluntary entrepreneurs is also expected to not hinder the economic development and growth of the micro-scale food industry.

Furthermore, he noted that basic requirements under the 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations for food handlers—such as undergoing food handler training and obtaining vaccinations—remain mandatory even without applying for MOH certification.

-- BERNAMA