PUTRAJAYA: Chinese officials will visit Malaysia in December to look at Malaysia’s food and veterinary regulations, including enforcement action on swiftlet houses following the discovery of high nitrite content in bird’s nests exported to China.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that during his visit to China recently, he told Chinese officials that the agency governing the bird’s nest industry had left it to them to decide on the acceptable nitrite level.
He said this was a good sign of things to come for the Malaysian bird’s nest industry.
“We have informed them of our very strict food and veterinary regulations,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting about 50 bird’s nest traders at his ministry here yesterday, Liow also said that he explained to his Chinese counterparts why Malaysian bird’s nest was safe for consumption despite the nitrite found in it.
“Sometimes it (nitrite) happens because of the natural environment of the bird houses.
“Just because the nitrite level is high, it doesn’t mean that there are additives,” he said.
Malaysian Federation of Bird’s Nest Traders Associations president Datuk Paduka Beh Heng Seong echoed the minister, saying the high nitrite levels were caused by the bird droppings that contain ammonia.
“In Malaysia, this is okay because no one eats bird’s nest raw.
“Nitrite is soluble in water so the levels will go down once you wash the nest.
“It will go down even more when you cook it,” said Beh, who represents 24 bird’s nest associations.
“Even eggs and drinking water have some nitrite,” he said.
The Chinese government had tested a batch of Malaysian bird’s nest in July and found that it did not comply with its standards.
The high levels of nitrite prompted a fake bird’s nest scare, causing Beijing Tongrentang Co., a major retailer of traditional Chinese medicine, to pull all imported-from-Malaysia edible bird’s nest products off its shelves recently.
Malaysia is the world’s second biggest exporter of bird’s nests after Indonesia with 80% sold to China.
Malaysian bird’s nest exports to China had surged from 1.44 tonnes in 2009 to 100 tonnes last year.
The industry is producing an average of 20 tonnes a month this year.
-Thestar
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that during his visit to China recently, he told Chinese officials that the agency governing the bird’s nest industry had left it to them to decide on the acceptable nitrite level.
He said this was a good sign of things to come for the Malaysian bird’s nest industry.
“We have informed them of our very strict food and veterinary regulations,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting about 50 bird’s nest traders at his ministry here yesterday, Liow also said that he explained to his Chinese counterparts why Malaysian bird’s nest was safe for consumption despite the nitrite found in it.
“Sometimes it (nitrite) happens because of the natural environment of the bird houses.
“Just because the nitrite level is high, it doesn’t mean that there are additives,” he said.
Malaysian Federation of Bird’s Nest Traders Associations president Datuk Paduka Beh Heng Seong echoed the minister, saying the high nitrite levels were caused by the bird droppings that contain ammonia.
“In Malaysia, this is okay because no one eats bird’s nest raw.
“Nitrite is soluble in water so the levels will go down once you wash the nest.
“It will go down even more when you cook it,” said Beh, who represents 24 bird’s nest associations.
“Even eggs and drinking water have some nitrite,” he said.
The Chinese government had tested a batch of Malaysian bird’s nest in July and found that it did not comply with its standards.
The high levels of nitrite prompted a fake bird’s nest scare, causing Beijing Tongrentang Co., a major retailer of traditional Chinese medicine, to pull all imported-from-Malaysia edible bird’s nest products off its shelves recently.
Malaysia is the world’s second biggest exporter of bird’s nests after Indonesia with 80% sold to China.
Malaysian bird’s nest exports to China had surged from 1.44 tonnes in 2009 to 100 tonnes last year.
The industry is producing an average of 20 tonnes a month this year.
-Thestar
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