Minister: National Centre for Food Security to be ready by 2021

SEPANG, April 5 — The National Centre for Food Security (NCFS), the first centre of excellence to ensure effective control of food safety and quality in Malaysia, is expected to be completed in 2021, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said the RM130 million centre situated on a 15-acre site here would serve as a scientific arm to the Food Safety and Quality Division (BKKM).

“Issues over food safety and quality are becoming increasingly challenging due to rapid developments in food technology in line with growing demand for a variety of food products.

“Food safety crises among them, milk found tainted with melamine in China, the use of maleic acid in producing bubble tea, baby formula manufactured in New Zealand contaminated with clostridium botulinum, have sparked global concern,” he said at a ceremony to hand over the letter of award for the NCFS project here today.

Also present at the event was Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

With the establishment of the NCFS, the International Food Safety Training Centre and the Asean Risk Assessment Centre (ARAC) will come under the purview of BKKM.

Dr Subramaniam said that the NCFS would carry out major activities in generating scientific data for policy development in risk assessment, research and development, standard development, training and consumer protection.

“The centre will assist the country’s food industry in producing safe and quality food products to be globally competitive.

“Developing science-based safety and quality control system will increase consumer confidence in the safety and quality of food products in this country,” he added. — Bernama