BATU KAWAN: The Health Ministry's commitment to strengthening food safety controls has yielded positive results, with a 28.9% decrease in food poisoning cases nationwide.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the number of cases fell to 12,821 as of the 36th Epidemiological Week (ME 36), from Aug 31 to Sept 6, this year, compared to 18,034 cases recorded during the same period last year.
He added that the number of food poisoning outbreaks had also declined, with 12 outbreaks reported in ME 36 compared to 15 in the previous week.
"According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated one in 10 people fall ill each year due to foodborne illnesses, while more than 200 diseases worldwide are linked to contaminated food," he said.
"Therefore, the MOH remains committed to strengthening food safety control in the country through various strategies and interventions," he said after flagging off participants of the Apron Walk 2025 here on Saturday (Sept 13).
Elaborating further, Dzulkefly said the strategy includes implementing health education and advocacy programmes that are both informative and engaging, aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of food safety.
He noted that such interventions are crucial, as the global cost of treating foodborne illnesses was estimated at RM60bil (US$15bil) annually.
"Among the ministry's other initiatives is the 'Bersih, Selamat dan Sihat (BeSS)', or Clean, Safe and Healthy, recognition initiative, under which 14,509 food premises nationwide had been certified as of June 2025," he said.
On the Apron Walk 2025, he added that this marked the third time the event had been organised, following the encouraging response to last year's edition.
The Apron Walk event drew more than 2,000 participants and featured various food safety promotional activities, including a street quiz, interactive exhibition, Wellness on Wheels (WoW), colouring competition, free health screenings, food and beverage stalls, and lucky draws.
"Held in conjunction with 'Bulan Malaysia Sihat Sejahtera' (Wellness Month) in September and the MOH's Healthy is Me campaign, the Apron Walk 2025 serves as a platform to promote healthy lifestyle practices while strengthening public awareness of the importance of food safety in daily life," he said.
The event was also held in conjunction with the celebration of World Food Safety Day (WFSD) 2025, which carries the theme 'Food Safety: Science in Action.' - Bernama