James (left) inspecting Raya cookies with his team at a supermarket.
KOTA KINABALU: In wake of the festive season, consumers are reminded to shop smart to ensure the safety of the food they buy and consume.
State Health Department Environmental Health Officer James Suladi urged the public to be mindful of expiry dates and the quality of food before making a purchase, as the responsibility of consuming safe food falls upon consumers as well.
“The public have to assume their responsibility when buying food to make sure that the food they buy is safe and fit for consumption,” said James.
“Consumers have their rights, and that includes choosing whether or not to buy a certain product.”
James, who led his team during an Ops Raya operation at a supermarket here yesterday, added that consumers also play a vital role in ensuring that food safety is adhered to.
“We encourage people to report to our department when they find potentially harmful foodstuff, as we believe that maintaining the safety of food does not lie solely upon the shoulders of the Health Department or City Hall,” he said.
A few teams from the State Health Department began carrying out the Ops Raya operation yesterday, which is a collaborative effort between City Hall, the State Health Department, the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS), and the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK).
The objectives of the operation include checking that foodstuff sold at supermarkets follow the guidelines and standard set by authorities, oversee and ensure the cleanliness of food storage, enforce the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985 and make the oversight of health enforcement visible during the Ramadan.
After one of the first operations yesterday, James told reporters that the initiative would be continued for the remainder of the fasting month and in the months that follow.
Aside from checking the foodstuff sold, said James, authorities also make sure that the place for storing food is clean and appropriate.
“If the place for food storage attracts cockroaches, flies and mice, we will instruct operators to close down that particular section for them to rectify the issue,” he said, adding that at least two weeks were given for operators to do so.
As for expired goods, James said that it would be confiscated immediately before a court order was obtained to dispose of the items.
“Overall, today’s operation has garnered results,” said James.
“We’ve identified a few shortcomings that need to be improved, and this isn’t the first time we’ve found something like this.
“This operation had been ongoing for a while, and we’ve achieved similar results and discovered similar findings.
“The focus of this particular operation is to make food safety the utmost priority during the festive season, not only on the part of sellers but consumers as well.”
Earlier, Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai also reminded operators not to take advantage of the situation by hiking up prices, especially for tourists.
“The emphasis of this operation is to ensure that only goods that adhere to the standards and regulations are sold, and at an appropriate price,” he said during a press conference.
Yeo added that the aspects which were taken into consideration in terms of goods sold are the display of expiry dates, packaging, state of the products, that is, it is not contaminated, and canned goods are not dented or rusty.