ENSURING OUR EGGS ARE SAFE
FOOD businesses in Malaysia have been affected by the interstate travel ban and restricted border controls due to Covid-19. This situation has probably gone down to a new low with the recent reports of Salmonella contamination in eggs imported from Malaysia in Singapore.
It was first reported that the imported eggs originating from a farm in Jeram, Selangor, had been recalled following the detection of Salmonella enteritidis.
More recently, there was a second recall directed to eggs originating from another company in Linggi, Negri Sembilan, due to similar bacterial contamination.
These two instances indicate that the contamination is no longer an isolated case. Thus, mitigation efforts need to be improved to safeguard market reliance of the country’s poultry industry, with sales exceeding RM10 billion annually.
As much as we want to reduce the use of antibiotics in poultry, the issue needs to be discussed openly and rationally. Antibiotics are necessary to control the spread of bacteria and diseases in huge farms.
However, it needs to be closely regulated so that the microorganisms in chickens do not become resistant, and persistently contaminate other poultry products such as eggs.
The scientific approach is the way forward to identify bacterial resistance to all antibiotics used in poultry, and hence, preventing the use of any that may no longer be effective.
Therefore, the call for stricter surveillance on the use of antibiotics by related authorities, such as the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Health Ministry and the Department of Veterinary Services of the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry, is timely.
The key players in the poultry industry are few, and almost identifiable. Mostly, their business relies on collaborations with small contract farmers, whose farm practices may differ.
The hygiene and sanitation practice at the breeder farms must be strictly imposed and monitored by key players in their business dealings.
Furthermore, the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practice or MyGAP — a comprehensive certification scheme issued for livestock and poultry sector — should be observed with due diligence.
The scheme provides a sanitary environment for egg production so that microbiological testing by the industry will give consumers an assurance that all preventive measures have been taken.
This will, in itself, facilitate approval from the authorities, such as the Department of Veterinary Services and Customs, before the eggs are exported overseas.
This is not the first time that our food supply has been either recalled or rejected overseas. Not only does it show the discrepancy in monitoring of our food exports, but also puts our attitude towards providing safe food to our own people in question.