Fomca: Ensure Only Organic Food Have Labels

PETALING JAYA: Enforcement officers must make regular checks to ensure that only genuine organic food products are labelled, said Fomca secretary-general Muham­mad Sha’ani Abdullah.
In supporting the Government’s move to label organic food, he said the authentication process must be done consistently so that such labels were not misused.
“This is to ensure that produce from conventional farms will not be mixed with the organic products by mistake,” he said.
He said the requirements for organic fruits and vegetables must also be made public so that consumers would have better knowledge of these products.
On Wednesday, Deputy Agri­culture and Agro-based Industries Minister Chua Tee Yong said all organic vegetables and fruits must carry the government-approved label from Jan 1 to enable consumers to differentiate between what was organic and what was not.
He also raised concerns on the watering system and the distance between conventional and organic farms.
“If organic farmers are using water that contains chlorine to water their plant, can their products still be labelled organic since chemicals are not supposed to be used in the farming of these produce?
“How far should conventional and organic farms be set apart? Can a farm still be considered organic if its neighbouring farm uses pesticide? All these questions must be answered,” he said.
Consumers Association of Penang president S. M. Mohd Idris welcomed the move to label organic food products.
“We have always been promoting organic food and we are glad that the Government is finally implementing this labelling system.
“However, we would encourage local organic farmers to supply their products locally to reduce carbon footprint,” he said.

--THE STAR—17/12/2010