The label on your favourite snack may have to list common allergens like milk and nuts in the future. And the list of claims about the health benefits of food that is barred may grow longer as well.
The Health Ministry is looking at tightening the labelling regulations to make them clearer to consumers and to help those with various medical conditions make better food choices.
Food Quality and Safety Department director Noraini Mohd Othman said the ministry has begun looking into these new rules and has not made any decisions yet. The move comes after recent food scares and rising consumer demand for more information about what is in the food they eat.
Under current rules manufacturers are required to list a a number of items on food labels, including the ingredients, the manufacturer's address and and storage instructions (see graphics).
They are not allowed to make claims containing words like "super" and "quality guaranteed".
But such health and good-for-you claims are what consumers complain about most often, says Malaysian Association of Standards Users chief executive officer Ratna Devi Nadarajan.
From "superbrand" to "organic" and "low GI", consumers are confronted with more and more new claims every day, she says.
"It can be misleading, and it's hard for the average consumer to verify if any of it is true."
Groups like the Consumers Association of Penang also want to see more details on labels, and an end to the use of vague terms like "permitted colouring" and "permitted conditioners".
With the rise in lifestyle-induced illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, CAP is pushing for details of salt, sugar, saturated fat and trans fat content to be listed clearly and separately from other nutritional information so consumers can take note.
The ministry is also looking into the new labelling requirements other countries have introduced after recent food scares. One of these is a requirement for food manufacturers to list the source country of major ingredients. This is not yet a requirement in Malaysia.
In the United States, rules requiring meat and fresh produce to be labelled by national origin which were put on hold for several years came into effect late last month. The final push came following the melamine-tainted pet food scandal in 2006 and last year.
Surveys in the US have shown that the country-of-origin labelling has the overwhelming support of consumers who think such labels will help them make safer food choices.
This labelling rule covers meat, fresh produce, chicken, ginseng and a variety of nuts. At the moment, the focus remains on testing food for melamine content.
Under normal circumstances, melamine would not be a contaminant food authorities would be testing for but now, testing will be extended to cover melamine.
The Health Ministry is looking at tightening the labelling regulations to make them clearer to consumers and to help those with various medical conditions make better food choices.
Food Quality and Safety Department director Noraini Mohd Othman said the ministry has begun looking into these new rules and has not made any decisions yet. The move comes after recent food scares and rising consumer demand for more information about what is in the food they eat.
Under current rules manufacturers are required to list a a number of items on food labels, including the ingredients, the manufacturer's address and and storage instructions (see graphics).
They are not allowed to make claims containing words like "super" and "quality guaranteed".
But such health and good-for-you claims are what consumers complain about most often, says Malaysian Association of Standards Users chief executive officer Ratna Devi Nadarajan.
From "superbrand" to "organic" and "low GI", consumers are confronted with more and more new claims every day, she says.
"It can be misleading, and it's hard for the average consumer to verify if any of it is true."
Groups like the Consumers Association of Penang also want to see more details on labels, and an end to the use of vague terms like "permitted colouring" and "permitted conditioners".
With the rise in lifestyle-induced illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, CAP is pushing for details of salt, sugar, saturated fat and trans fat content to be listed clearly and separately from other nutritional information so consumers can take note.
The ministry is also looking into the new labelling requirements other countries have introduced after recent food scares. One of these is a requirement for food manufacturers to list the source country of major ingredients. This is not yet a requirement in Malaysia.
In the United States, rules requiring meat and fresh produce to be labelled by national origin which were put on hold for several years came into effect late last month. The final push came following the melamine-tainted pet food scandal in 2006 and last year.
Surveys in the US have shown that the country-of-origin labelling has the overwhelming support of consumers who think such labels will help them make safer food choices.
This labelling rule covers meat, fresh produce, chicken, ginseng and a variety of nuts. At the moment, the focus remains on testing food for melamine content.
Under normal circumstances, melamine would not be a contaminant food authorities would be testing for but now, testing will be extended to cover melamine.
