By Annie Freeda Cruez

KUALA LUMPUR - Food containing ingredients known to cause hypersensitivity or allergy will have to be labelled from Jan 1.

The Health Ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division deputy director (Codex), Shamsinar Abdul Talib, said the mandatory labelling followed the gazetting of a provision for allergenicity in August and its compliance under the Food (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2009.

Under the ruling, food containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oat), nut and nut products (including soyabean), fish and fish products (including prawns and other seafood), milk and milk products (including lactose) and egg and egg products, will have to be labelled by the manufacturers.

"We have informed the food industry of the new requirement. We are also holding roadshows, workshops and seminars on the new requirement and providing guidelines on the implementation," she said on NSTLive at Balai Berita yesterday.

Shamsinar said although there was a need for fine-tuning of the guidelines, the industry had been cooperating with the ministry.

Those who fail to label these products will be charged under Section 15 and 16 of the Food Act, which carries a jail term not exceeding three years or a fine or both if convicted.

"Our aim is to ensure that people eat safe food. We need to protect the public against health hazards and fraud in the preparation, sale and use of food," said Shamsinar, who is a food technologist.

She said their biggest challenge was to ensure that food preparation, sale and storage of food material was safe and hygienic.

Consumers, too, have the right to know what ingredients are in the food they buy and whether it is safe for consumption.

The division also carries out stringent checks on imported food.

Shamsinar said besides belacan, other local condiments that came under the Food Regulations 1985 were budu or fish sauce and cincalok (fermented small shrimps or krill). Tempoyak (fermented durian), however, is an exception.