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Malaysia Tightens Food and Feed Safety Standards

Malaysia has strengthened food and feed safety measures by banning prohibited antibiotics and hormones in animal products and updating labelling requirements for specific food categories.

MALAYSIA – FOOD AND FEED SAFETY

Malaysia Bans Antibiotics and Hormones in Animal Feed

New labelling rules also take effect for milk, juice and processed meat.

What changed

Antibiotics and hormones banned in feed for milk, meat and poultry production.

Clearer labelling required for milk, fruit juice and processed meat products.

Who it affects

Feed manufacturers must remove prohibited antibiotics and hormones from production.

Food processors must update labels for milk, juice and processed meat products.

Livestock farmers must use only compliant feed for milk, meat and poultry production.

Malaysia — food and feed safety standards update

Regulation Analysis

Malaysia has recently strengthened food and feed safety measures through two key regulatory updates: (1) the Amendment of Schedule of Feed (Prohibited Antibiotics, Hormones, and Other Chemicals) Regulation 2023 under the Feed Act 2009, and (2) the Amendment to labelling requirement in subregulation 11(1)(e) of the Food Regulations 1985. These measures target the prohibition of specific antibiotics and hormones in animal feed and enhanced labelling requirements for prepackaged foods, respectively.

Below is a structured breakdown of the requirements, authorities, and timelines:

RegulationKey RequirementDeadline/ThresholdAuthority
Amendment of Schedule of Feed (Prohibited Antibiotics, Hormones, and Other Chemicals) Regulation 2023 under Feed Act 20091Prohibits the use of 22 antibiotics as antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) and for prophylaxis in animal feed, including Chlortetracycline, Oxytetracycline, Amoxicillin, and Tylvalosin1. Hormones and other chemicals are also banned.Six months from date of publication (exact date to be determined)1.Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security1.
Amendment to subregulation 11(1)(e) of the Food Regulations 19852Requires added water in prepackaged foods to be declared in the list of ingredients in descending order2. Applies to all prepackaged foods under HS Codes 16.01–22.092.Six months from date of publication (exact date to be determined)2.Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia2.

1. Prohibition of Antibiotics and Hormones in Animal Feed

Legal Basis

The Feed Act 2009 (Act 699) empowers the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to regulate feed safety, including the prohibition of harmful substances. The Amendment of Schedule of Feed (Prohibited Antibiotics, Hormones, and Other Chemicals) Regulation 2023 explicitly bans the use of 22 antibiotics in animal feed, aligning with OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) standards, specifically:

  • Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2024), Chapters 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, and 6.101.

Prohibited Substances

The following antibiotics are banned for use as antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) or for prophylaxis in Malaysia1:

  1. Chlortetracycline
  2. Oxytetracycline
  3. Amoxicillin
  4. Ampicillin
  5. Neomycin
  6. Cefalexin
  7. Benzylpenicillin
  8. Florfenicol
  9. Norfloxacin
  10. Tilmicosin
  11. Tylvalosin
  12. Spectinomycin
  13. Sulfamonomethoxine
  14. Sulfadiazine
  15. Lincomycin
  16. Enramycin
  17. Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate (BMD)
  18. Apramycin
  19. Tiamulin
  20. Zn Bacitracin
  21. Trimethoprim
  22. Virginiamycin

Note: Hormones and other chemicals are also prohibited, though not explicitly listed in the notification1.

Compliance Timeline

  • The regulation will enter into force six months after its official publication date1. The exact publication date is yet to be determined.

Enforcement Authority

  • Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security1.
  • Contact for inquiries/comments:
    • Veterinary Regulatory Division

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Aras 2, Lot 4G1, Blok Podium, Wisma Tani No.28 Persiaran Perdana, Presint 4, Putrajaya 62624 Tel: +(603) 8870 2000 Email:1(mailto:maryammustaffa@dvs.gov.my) /1(mailto:spscontactpoint@kpkm.gov.my)1.

2. Updated Labelling Requirements for Prepackaged Foods

Legal Basis

The Food Regulations 1985 (under the Food Act 1983) govern food safety and labelling in Malaysia. The Amendment to subregulation 11(1)(e) introduces a new requirement for declaring added water in prepackaged foods, aligning with Codex Alimentarius Standard CXS 1-19852.

Key Requirement

  • Added water must be declared in the list of ingredients in descending order of weight2.
  • Applies to all prepackaged foods under HS Codes 16.01–22.09 (e.g., processed meats, beverages, sauces, and dairy products)2.

Compliance Timeline

  • The amendment will enter into force six months after its official publication date2. The exact publication date is yet to be determined.

Enforcement Authority

  • Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia2.
  • Contact for inquiries/comments:
    • Food Safety and Quality Division

Ministry of Health Malaysia Level 4, Menara Prisma, No.26, Jalan Persiaran Perdana, Precinct 3 Putrajaya 62675 Tel: +(603) 8885 0797 Fax: +(603) 8885 0790 Email:2(mailto:sps.fsqd@moh.gov.my) Website:2(http://fsq.moh.gov.my/)2.

Summary Answer

Malaysia has reinforced food and feed safety through two key regulations:

  1. The Amendment of Schedule of Feed (Prohibited Antibiotics, Hormones, and Other Chemicals) Regulation 2023 under the Feed Act 2009 bans 22 antibiotics (e.g., Chlortetracycline, Amoxicillin) and hormones in animal feed, effective six months after publication1. Enforcement falls under the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS)1.
  2. The Amendment to subregulation 11(1)(e) of the Food Regulations 1985 mandates that added water in prepackaged foods (HS Codes 16.01–22.09) be declared in the ingredients list in descending order, also effective six months after publication2. The Ministry of Health Malaysia oversees compliance2.

Both measures align with international standards (OIE for feed1 and Codex Alimentarius for food labelling2) and apply to all trading partners1, 2. Stakeholders were given 60 days to submit comments during the notification period (e.g., until 10 October 2021 for the labelling amendment2 and 3 May 2025 for the feed regulation1).

Sources

  1. ↩ Amendment of Schedule of Feed (Prohibited Antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals) Regulation 2023 under Feed Act 2009 _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NMYS64.DOCX
  2. ↩ Amendment to labelling requirement in subregulation 11(1)(e) of the Food Regulations 1985 _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NMYS52.DOCX
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