Bird’s nest scare has not spoilt China’s appetite

IPOH: Recent reports of high nitrite content in some bird's nest products from Malaysia have not affected demand for the delicacy in China. Producers in Malaysia, however, need to practise strict quality control to restore the confidence of consumers in China, said Xu Yu Fei, vice-mayor of Wenzhou city in the republic's southeastern Zhejiang province.

She admitted that consumer confidence in China had been “slightly affected” following the reports. “Local producers need to redouble their efforts in promoting their products in China and to prove to consumers their products are of a high quality,” she said. Xu was speaking to reporters after a business matching and dialogue session between local businessmen and their counterparts from Wenzhou here yesterday.

She said local producers needed to improve the sales and marketing of their products, adding that consumers in China were now more careful when choosing bird's nests.Recently, the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry sent a team to China to allay fears over reports of nitrate poisoning from Malaysian-produced bird's nests.

Following the scare, the Health Ministry told owners of bird's nest processing premises to register their business with the ministry by Oct 1 to help it regulate and control product quality. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had said food items exported to China would have to be certified by the ministry and the Veterinary Services Department.

Ministry to set standards for swiftlet industry

KUALA LUMPUR: A study is being carried out by the Health Ministry to develop a specific standard for swiftlet nest and its products under the Food Regulations 1985.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said this was to enhance consumers' confidence on the safety level of swiftlet nest and its products since it was a new industry.

“Safety and quality control of all swiftlet nest products will also be upgraded to ensure they are safe and of good quality,” he said in a statement here yesterday. He said swiftlet nest producers would also be registered in the food premises registration system through http://fosimdomestic.moh.gov.my to make it easier for them to comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.

Liow said the ministry has also introduced the 1Malaysia Food Safety Scheme (SK1M) to assist small and medium entrepreneurs, including producers of swiftlet nest and its products to carry out their own food safety control programme. He said the ministry would also work with the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry to ascertain the safety of raw swiftlet nests at the farm level.

“These initiatives are made to realise the government's aspiration of making the country's swiftlet nest industry a high-impact industry and to ensure its products are safe and of quality,” he added. - Bernama

Bird’s nest operators, premises owners urged to register

PUTRAJAYA: All bird's nest operators and about 56,000 premises owners nationwide are required to register with the Veterinary Department in the wake of the recent allegation in China regarding the condition of birds' nests imported from Malaysia.

Veterinary services director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin said a database would be set up listing all bird's nest exporters, which can be accessed by importers from China for verification purposes.
"Through the system, only exporting companies that are approved by both Malaysia and China are allowed to export the item," he told reporters here.

Abdul Aziz said the registration exercise began this week. So far, 12 companies have registered.
"The claim by China recently that the 'red-coloured bird's nests' allegedly imported from the country containing nitrite is not true, because Malaysia does not produce that type of bird's nests. It might have come from other countries but was trans-shipped to China from Malaysia," said Abdul Aziz.
Under the new system, only birds' nests bearing the Veterinary Health Mark are allowed to be exported to China.

"The department, in collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, will also set up a track-and-trace network system to enable consumers there to determine if the products are from Malaysia," he said.

The three-week period during which China ceased importation of bird's nests from Malaysia caused millions of ringgit in losses, according to Abdul Aziz.
The industry's annual export value to China alone is RM5 billion. It also provides 20,000 jobs.