KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Medical Association has called on the Health Ministry to prioritise issues related to food safety amid the spate of food poisoning cases nationwide.
"It is not uncommon to see no separation in the handling of food and money," said MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz.
"In many outlets, food is being prepared in unhygienic conditions while many food stalls and caterers are known to be operating illegally.
"The list goes on but what are the authorities doing about it?"
Azizan said Health Ministry data indicated that 51 incidents of food poisoning were recorded for every 100,000 people in Malaysia last year.
This is more than double the rate of 18.4 incidents in 2021, she said.
"We should insist on all food sellers getting a licence with the necessary certification from the authorities.
"All food operators need to be properly educated on the standards of food hygiene."
She said premises where food is prepared must also be regularly inspected by the authorities.
"We urge the Ministry of Health to prioritise looking into these issues as food poisoning can have fatal consequences."
Azizan also said Malaysians must also do their part in reporting unhygienic practices in the food industry to the authorities.
She said under the law, all food premises as defined in the regulations must comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
This includes compulsory training, medical examinations and typhoid vaccinations.
"We urge the government to audit all typhoid vaccinations given to food handlers as there are unregistered typhoid vaccines in the market being used by unscrupulous parties."
On Friday, a 10-year-old boy in Sandakan, Sabah is believed to have died from food poisoning.
Last month, a 17-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl died after 82 people suffered food poisoning from food served at a school event in Gombak, Selangor.
Prior to that, 90 students and nine staff members at a secondary school in Batu Pahat experienced food poisoning, and just days ago, 91 students at a primary school in Pulau Gaya, Kota Kinabalu, fell ill under similar circumstances.