Duties of Food Business Owner

If you are about to start a food business, you may do final check on the followings: 

1. Registering premise registration (and do renewal after before 3 years).

2. Displaying 

2.1 certificate / slip of premise registration.
2.2 hand washing poster
2.3 poster disallow any persons from bringing any animal into the food premise.

3. Establishing food safety assurance program (food processor)

4. Establishing food traceability system (food processor)

5. Not employ or allow any food handlers who does not

5.1 bearing Food Handlers Trainer course certificate 
5.2 been medically examined. 

6. Maintain records of training, medical examination and vaccination certificate for every Food Handlers. (If you have Food safety Assurance program, you would have this record).

7. Maintain records of cleaning, packaging, processing, storing and distributing of food. (If you have Food Safety Assurance program, you would have this too).  

Is your Food Business company comply the above checklist? Should you need any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Traceability of Food product

In the midst of establishing any food safety program, may it be HACCP, GMP or even MeSTI, you need to plan the traceability of your product. Traceability is the ability to find out how, where, when your products are made and distributed to. It also refer to the origin of your product -  the source of raw material, ingredients, etc etc.        

Under Reg 10(1), 2009 Food Hygiene regulation, a proprietor, owner or occupier of food premises shall provide a food traceability system in the food premises which able to identify one step back from where the food came and one step forward to where the food went at any specified stage of a food chain from production to distribution. 

What is the importance of traceability? When there is a need to recall (your products), traceability will ease the process.  The processor would be able to act quickly to identify the affected products and arrange to deliver them to the factory for re-processing or discard.  With this system, the food processor could also rebuild trust with public about their food safety concerns and controls.

So, what should you do to create traceability system?  First, your product should have a clear product specification, such as the features, weight, size, quantity etc etc.  Second, create batch code that representing supplier and production date.  For example, you may define a product code 1907220101 as below

• First 6 digit - YYMMDD of production date
• Seventh & eighth digit - Supplier A
• Nineth & tenth digit - Customer X

Bar code is an example of product code. It contain information like country, manufacturer, product spec, and production code.

Third, keeping complete records such as

1) Receiving records

2) Processing records

3) Maintenance & Cleanliness records

4) Packing records

5) Distribution records

and other relevant (to production) records.  

Fourth, when there is recall, processors will identify the affected products and trace the root cause of the non-conformance product along the supply chain, such as delivery method, production, inspection of raw material, Maintenance & Cleanliness of the facility and equipment.  The above records would verify the investigation during product recall. 

Each year,  food processor should implement a Mock recall on their own product to check the efficiency of their product recall system.  And this Mock recall should be documented for Surveillance audit. 

         

Displays in Food premises in Malaysia

There are 3 displays that all Food business owners should made in their premises (Reg 8).  

1. Updated premise registration slip.  You may refer to my previous blog on how to obtain it. 

2. Poster of Hand Washing. This poster should be displayed at every toilet, changing room or washing facility of the food premises. You may obtain the poster from your nearest Jabatan Kesihatan Daerah (JKD) or download the Hand Washing from Google and laminate it.  You may also purchase nice Hand Washing poster from us at merely RM 10 per piece.

3. Poster of disallows any person from bringing any animal into the food premises.  

Thank you for reading.  Welcome to contact us if you need any advice on this. 

    

MeSTI - SME Food processors and Food exporters' right choice

MeSTI (Makanan Selamat Tanggungjawab Industri) is a Food Safety programme that fulfill the basic requirements stated at 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations.  Under Reg 9, food processors (Third Schedule: All food premises involved in the manufacturing of food) should establish and practise a Food Safety Assurance programme.  And MeSTI is much more suitable for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Food processors. 

Have you ever saw Food Safety Assurance programme such as FSSC22000, ISO22000, HACCP, GMP etc etc somewhere, sometimes?  There are products in the market which labelled with the certification's logo.  What does it mean? Owning the certification brings you many benefits includes

1. Minimize the occurrence of Food poisoning  
2. Increase food processor's image in either domestic or global market
3. Comply local or importer's Food Safety legislation
4. Reducing production cost in terms of wastage and food recall
5. Develop and improve customer's confidence on the product.

and many more.  If you notice, food processors that owns the above-said Food Safety Assurance programmes are mostly established companies.  The food processor might already have departments such as Production, Store, Quality Control, Laboratory, Maintenance, and so on in their organization. Yes, only big organization is able to handle the document-oriented programme.  Many checking, inspections, document updates, food safety solution findings have to be done daily to maintain the programme.  Few years ago, Ministry of Health (MOH) started to incurr few thousand ringgit every year for the application & maintainence of GMP and HACCP.  So, it is become more difficult for SMEs to practise such programme. 

So, how does the SME food processors could comply Reg 9? Here comes MeSTI, a very good alternative for the applicants.  First of all, application of MeSTI certification in MOH is FREE.   by practising MeSTI, food processors comply Reg 9 as well as to increase the confidence of the Public and Importers against their products.  Owning a proper documented food safety system also help to reducing the cost of wastage and recalls and indirectly increase company profits. 

We have been helping SMEs to apply MeSTI.  Our customers are Edible Ice processors, Noodles processor and Bird Nest Processor.  Along the application process, what we appreciate that is our customers know their processing, strength and weaknesses (rooms for improvement) better. Audits from us (as a Service provider) and from MOH help them to improve their food safety concerns on products.  We saw satisfaction on their faces after obtaining MeSTI certificates.  

If you have the capacity (running a processing factory or a packer) to apply MeSTI, let's go for it.  If you have NO TIME to study the know-how, no worries.  We are ready to 

1) develop manual for you

2) provide training for you and/or your staff

3) coordinate between you and MOH auditors upon the MeSTI application.  

with a reasonable price.  If this is what you need, do contact me today.

For your information.  If you are processor in Sabah, you ought to obtain MeSTI before you can go for HALAL application, which you could penetrate a bigger market in Malaysia or abroad! 

That is all for today. I will share about matters you need to prepare for MeSTI system in my next blog. Stay tune!  

Food Handlers Training course

Food Handlers Training Course is introduced by the Malaysia's Ministry of Health on 2009.  The course containing food hygiene and safety elements that every Food Handlers should know.  It is a mandatory for food handlers in Malaysia to attend the course at least once in a life time.

The course is conducted by accredited trainers from accredited Food Handlers Training School, either in English, Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese.  The title of the course is

1. Food Handlers Training Course 

2. Kursus Latihan Pengendali Makanan (Bahasa Malaysia)

3. 食品处理人员培训课程 (Chinese)

Why should attend...

In 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations, Reg 30 (1) (2) (3) clearly stating that all Food Handlers should attend Food Handlers Training Course from accredited Food Handlers Training School (SLPM) and obtained certificate.  Failing fails to do so would be incurred penalty either

i. Not more that RM10,000 or

ii. 2 years imprisonment.

How much is the course...

The course fee is RM50/pax only. 

     

What is the benefit(s) of the course and certificate...

1) Food handlers would learn the correct ways of handling food in hygienic and safely. These practice will gain your customer's trust on the safety of your food products. 

2) Besides of your good quality products / delicious foods that is sold at your food store / restaurants, canteens / bakery etc, the competency of your food handlers will help attracting more customers to your premise (increase more sales) as more and more customers feel safe using your products / having meal at your premise.
    

3) Parent is feeling more safe to send their kids to your Nursery.

4) Obtaining certificate(s) enable your business comply one of the regulation in 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations.  You will felt easy to show your local Health officers during the inspection.  (Do not forget to get ready updated Health inspection card too)   

5) The certificate is valid for whole life. - no need to renew (unless required by Health officer*) 

6) The certificate is valid to be used for any food business throughout Malaysia! 
  

7) Bearing Food Handlers Training Course certificates will enable you to applying Food Safety Assurance Program such as MeSTI, GMP and HACCP.
     

8) If you are planning to enroll food business, obtaining Food Handlers Training certificate earlier will save your time when you are intensively preparing your food business.

9) If you are still a business, culinary, bakery or any food processing students, obtaining the certificate will get you more credit when you are applying job at those areas (as your employer would need the certificate to be shown to Health officers) 

Who should attend...

The followings are the definitions of Food Handlers according to 2009 Food Hygiene Regulations:

"food handler" includes any person who:-

(a) is directly involve in the preparation of food;

(b) comes into contact with food or food contact surfaces; and

(c) handles packaged or unpackaged food, or appliances, in any food premises;

So, persons who cook, prepare or process food, serve food to customers are fall under definition (a), maintenance or technician on machines or equipment, appliances are examples in definition (b) and food drivers, bakery staff, packers in food processing factory are examples for definition (c).  Are you one of them? 

If you are an admin or cashier who is not handling food or food contact surfaces in your premise, you are not required to attend the course. 

Where are the food handlers...

As per the definitions above, hawkers, restaurant, canteen, cafeteria, food truck, food store, food kiosks, catering, night market, hotels, resorts, nursery, and Food processing business owners should arrange their Food handlers to attend the course. Food processors could be Seafood processing factory, Palm Oil refineries, Noodles processing factories, Bakery factories, Bird Nest Processing etc. 

When should attend...

Before you commence your food business, do register you or / and your staff with SLPM to attend the course, and get the certificate after the course. Bearing this certificate, you can proceed to other application. Some business application like canteens and restaurants need the certificate before the business licence is approved from Town Municipal  Council (You may check from your local authority). If you are running your Food Business and you hired staff are yet to have Food Handlers Training Course Certificate, do send your staff to attend course as soon as possible.  The reason is Health Inspector could spot check your food premise.  As a businessman / women, we do not wish our business is "disturbed" with any unnecessary troubles. Do you?  So, it is always a good practice to arrange when you have staff working with you.   

How to register...  

Register the course at SLPM around your food business.  We, JACKYZ SOLUTION provides Food Handlers Training Course to our customers at Sabah's main cities.  Let's check our latest schedule.  Anyway, is your premise too far from our class stated in the latest schedule?  or the training appointment are not suitable ? No worries, we had think about it.  If your organization has 10 persons or more, do contact me to arrange a course AT YOUR PREMISE WITH THE DATE & TIME WE AGREED.  Sounds great isn't it?  Yes! We love to save your time and hassle to send your staff to our class. 

That is all about Food Handlers Course. If you like my sharings, kindly subscribe my blog and drop your email. You are also welcome to comment my blog.  Let us progress together to improve the Food Safety of Food Industries in our community. 

   

Jacky C 

JACKYZ SOLUTION

🔺 Welcome to join our Telegram group 

🔺 New to MeSTI? Want to know your existing MeSTI practice before audit? Welcome to contact us in English or Malay 
🔺Wish to attend / send your team to attend Food Handlers Training and obtain certificate? Do book your seat here in English or Malay   

Credit: Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health  

       

About us

JACKYZ SOLUTION is incorporated at 2018 with an idea to provide food safety program set up and training services to food processors in Sabah. 

We are working with the food processors to set up food safety program and training the key persons so that our client has less hassle free to operate their food processing and export according to the Food Safety regulations.  So far, we had been completing ice licence and MeSTI certification projects for ice making factories, noodles processing factory and Bird Nest processing factory.

Besides, we succeed to have approval as Food Handlers Training School.  To ease our client’s convenience, we will conduct the course either at our classroom or at our client’s premise, at the discussed date and time.

We are also cooperating with other company to set up ISO 9001 and HACCP for food processors. HACCP Standard is accordance with Ministry of Health, that the processors are eligible to export their products.

With that, we are looking forward to provide our best solutions for our clients.

SOLE PROPRIATOR’S PORTFOLIO

July 2000             : Completed Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology in

  Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Sep 2000             : Serve with Phillip Seafood (EM) Sdn Bhd as Quality

  Controller

Mar 2001             : Serve with Unistate Seafood Sdn Bhd as Laboratory In-

  Charge & Quality Controller

July 2003             : Serve with Bayer CropScience Sdn Bhd as Sales

  Executive

Jan 2004              : Serve with Haiky Borneo Sdn Bhd as Quality Assurance

  Manager

-          Set up & maintain HACCP of processing plant

-          Set up & maintain Compliance Listing (for export)

-          Set up & maintain MeSTI & Ice Licence

-          Set up & maintain MyGAP

-          Set up & maintain HALAL certification

May 2014            : Pass trainer Examination of Food Handlers Training

  Course organized by Ministry of Health

Aug 2016             : Obtained Trainer accredited certificate of Food Handlers

  Training Course

May 2017             : Attach with Win Synergy, Kedah (Food Handlers

  Training School, SLPM) to conduct Food Handlers

  Training course for Food Handlers for Food processors   

  in Tawau.

Jan 2018              : Attach with Iftah Training Centre (SLPM), Kota Kinabalu to 

                                 conduct Food Handlers Training Course for food handlers at

  Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan.

Mar 2018             : Set up Jackyz Solution.

Nov 2018             : Obtained Accredited certificate of Food Handlers

  Training School by Ministry of Health.     

Jan 2019 - present: Conducting Food Handlers Training Course for food

   handlers at city and town of east coast and west coast  

   of Sabah and develop / maintaining standard systems

   such as MeSTI, Complyign Listing and MyGAP.