Malaysia to sign bird's nest deal with China

 Updated: 2012-04-09 15:10

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will sign a draft protocol with China to resume bird's nest export to China which was halted last year over a safety concern.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying on Sunday that both countries will sign the protocol as they have agreed on three key conditions in the latest negotiation.

Malaysian bird's nest exporters are required to get certifications from the Health Ministry and the Veterinary Department and an identification from the Multimedia Commission that traces the origin of the bird's nests through radio frequency to ensure that the edible bird's nests are authentic and safe for consumption.

The ministry could not confirm when the draft protocol would be signed.

Edible bird's nests, made of the secretion from the salivary glands of swiftlets, has been used traditionally in Chinese cooking for centuries.

China banned bird's nests imports from Malaysia  one of the world's largest bird's nests producers, after it found last July excessive nitrite in counterfeit blood nests, a rare kind of bird' s nests.

Noh said the ban caused Malaysia's bird's nest market price to plunge sharply.

Many traders also had difficulties servicing their bank loans, he added.

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China Sets Nitrite Limits for Edible Bird's Nests

   2012-04-05 21:46:54    Xinhua      Web Editor: Zhangjin
China on Thursday announced the tolerable maximum of nitrite in edible bird's nests, after some products with Malaysian origins sparked safety concerns for containing too much of the chemical, which if consumed excessively may lead to death.

The provisional standard issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH) stipulated that each kilogram of edible nests should contain no more than 30 mg of nitrite, a level equivalent to that allowable in China's pork products.

According to a joint study by Chinese and Malaysian food authorities and experts, the health risk of edible bird's nests with the set level of nitrite is extremely low.

Meanwhile, the MOH stressed that nitrite is banned from being artificially added during processing and production of edible bird's nests, a crime that carries severe punishment.

According to health experts, edible bird's nests naturally contain nitrite but cleansing with water may effectively reduce the levels of chemicals in the products.

Widely considered a health product for skin and beauty treatments, edible bird's nests are popular among Asian people, especially the Chinese. Malaysia is one of the world's biggest exporters of bird's nests, with 95 percent of its bird's nest products being sold to China.
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Over half bird's nest stores in Xiamen may face closure after new rule

China launched newly amended list of prohibited items including bird's nest.

 

A newly amended list of prohibited items has dealt a heavy blow to bird’s nest stores which privately sell bird’s nest in Xiamen, reports Xiamen Daily.

 

According to the newly amended list of prohibited items, bird's nest (except canned versions) can't be brought in by travelers or mailed into China. China has stepped up supervision on bird's nest products after excessive amounts of nitrite were found in bird nests imported from Malaysia in August, 2011.

 

Edible bird's nest, or cubilose, a delicacy in China, considered as a super-food for daily health-care, is popular and well accepted in Xiamen.

 

The revised list has put a cold chill to self-employed business people in Xiamen who made a living by importing bird’s nest in the past.

 

On the contrary, those local standard stores specializing in imported bird's nest products have benefited from this revised list. "Following the newly list launched, Xiamen will face a shortage of bird’s nest products in the market as the purchase channel was formally standardized, which may cause s price surge of the products", said a staff of Xiamen-based Yanzhiwu, a famous bird’s nest store.

 

"The revised list is definitely good for the whole cubilose industry in China, given the chaos that's occurred in past years. Cubilose imported through formal channels should be genuine because it must be inspected", said an insider.

source : http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news23942.html

 

Bird's nest move 'good for industry'

 Updated: 2012-02-27 07:23

By Cheng Yingqi (China Daily)

Updated list of banned items covers more animal and plant products
BEIJING - Cubilose, a type of bird's nest that is considered a delicacy in China, can't be brought in by travelers or mailed into the country, according to a newly amended list of prohibited items.
The list, jointly issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has 16 categories of banned animal and plant products.
Compared with the previous list issued in 1992, the new list has a broader range of banned products, such as leaf tobacco and genetically modified food.
Cubilose (except canned versions) is the highest-profile product on the list.
"The revised list is definitely good for the whole cubilose industry in China, given the chaos that's occurred in the past year," said Alex Leong, a former dealer of Malaysian cubilose in Zhejiang province who became an industry whistle-blower.
For centuries, the Chinese have viewed cubilose, or edible bird's nest, as an expensive dish that could provide health benefits.
In August 2011, quality regulators in Zhejiang province found excessive levels of the carcinogen nitrite in cubilose, with average levels as high as 4,400 mg a kg, far above the ceiling of 70 mg a kg.
The cubilose in this case had been imported from Malaysia. Follow-up investigations in Zhejiang province found that no cubilose met the standards.
"Chinese consumers believe cubilose imported from Indonesia and Malaysia has fewer additives, so imported cubilose used to be popular," Leong said. "But actually, most cubilose has excessive nitrite."
Leong said some cubilose dealers add tapioca as a thickener, and some even dye the nests with material containing nitrite.
"The process is simple, similar to making bread. Everyone can do it after one month's training," Leong said.
Adulterated cubilose sells at 4,000 yuan ($635) to 8,000 yuan a kg, while the price of the pure product is 15,000 yuan to 18,000 yuan a kg, he said.
"However, the major purchasers - large restaurants and drugstores - don't sacrifice their profits to buy genuine cubilose, so the demand for expensive, genuine cubilose was low for years," Leong said.
Leong said the ban on cubilose imports could improve the situation.
"Cubilose imported through formal channels should be genuine because it must be inspected."
Besides cubilose, the regulations also state that each passenger may only bring one pet, such as a cat or dog, into the country, with quarantine and vaccination certificates.
Source : CHINADAILY

1kg bird’s nest limit for tourists

 Tuesday January 17, 2012
PETALING JAYA: Tourists to Malaysia are now only allowed to take home a maximum 1kg of bird's nest.
“This is to ensure that no smuggling of this expensive commodity takes place,” Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.
He also announced that local companies would require three certificates to export edible bird's nest products to China.
The certificates are from the Veterinary Services Department, the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Precious commodity: Noh (third from right) listening to assistant chemist Cassie Lee’s briefing on the commodity during a visit to PT Swift Marketing in Puchong yesterday. — Bernama

“After a company receives all three certificates, it will be allowed to use the 1Malaysia Best' logo and can export to China,'' Noh told reporters after launching the first authentic edible bird's nest trade and depository centre by PT Swift Marketing Sdn Bhd in Puchong yesterday.
He said the Government would not be held responsible for products without the “1Malaysia Best” logo.
Noh said previously only a Veterinary Services Department certificate was needed but due to the decline in quality, additional requirements had been added.
He added that only eight companies had acquired the certificates so far.
Noh said the new rules were necessary because of concerns expressed by the Chinese government on excessive nitrite in bird's nests from Malaysia.
“The two governments are discussing to determine the acceptable nitrite content.
“It is impossible to get bird's nest with zero nitrite content but we hope to announce the figure soon,” he said.

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Swiftlet Nest Exporters Must Obtain Three Quality Certifications To Enter China Market

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Starting this year, local companies exporting swiftlet nests to China are required to obtain three quality certifications before their products can be allowed to enter the republic, according to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

He said the quality certifications were the Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) certificate issued by the Veterinary Department, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) certificate issued by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the health certificate issued by the Health Ministry.

The three certifications are aimed at ensuring the quality of the Malaysian swiftlet nests would meet the standards set by the Chinese government, he told reporters after opening Malaysia's first Authentic Bird's Nest Depository and Trade Centre in Puchong near here today.

"These quality certifications must be adhered to in order to meet the strict requirements set by the Chinese government after they agreed to accept swiftlet nests from Malaysia last year.

"However, the Chinese government has also required that only bird's nests with zero part per million (ppm) of nitrite are allowed to be exported to the republic," he said.

Noh said it was very difficult to obtain swiftlet nests with zero nitrite level, but the ministry was hoping that the Health Ministry could set a minimum and acceptable nitrite level for the issuance of the certification purposes.

The minister said the company which obtained the three quality certifications would be allowed to use the "1Malaysia Best" brand on their swiftlet nest products, but they also had to identify a strategic partner in China to ease the trade and monitoring process.

"Their partners in China will also be required to promote swiftlet nest products bearing the brand of '1Malaysia Best' as the ones having the best quality and safe for consumption," he said.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry Food Safety and Quality Control Division senior director Dr Noraini Mohd Othman said the swiftlet nest products containing high level of nitrate could pose a threat to human health and could also cause cancer.

"We will announce the acceptable level of nitrate in swiftlet nests after the ongoing discussion between our experts and their counterparts in China is concluded,"

-- BERNAMA

Ban on M'sian imports badly affecting demand for white bird’s nest in China

Jack Wong (The Star), The Asia News Network, Kuching, Malaysia | Fri, 12/30/2011 10:50 AM

A | A | A |

Unprocessed white bird's nest prices have fallen further as demand for Malaysia's bird's nest products has been badly affected after China banned their imports about five months ago.
“The average price has dropped to around 3,000 ringgit (US$945) per kilo as compared with 4,500 ringgit ($1,400) before the ban,” said Sarawak Bird's Nest Suppliers Association secretary Colin Wong Chung Onn.
China imposed an import ban in July after nitrate was found in Malaysian bird's nests.
Wong said although there was demand, most swiftlet breeders were in no hurry to sell at the current depressed prices.
“Unprocessed bird's nests can be stored without going bad for about a year with good control of humidity and temperature,” he told The Star on Thursday.
He said the prices were likely to recover if China lifted the ban soon as stocks of bird's nest products in the mainland were expected to drop to a low level with increased consumption of the delicacy during the Lunar New Year.
Locally, bird's nests are packed in gift hampers to be given away during festive seasons.
Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Noh Omar was reported to have said last month that a committee set up by Malaysia and China to determine the permissible level of nitrate in bird's nest products was expected to resolve the issue before the Chinese New Year.
The committee was formed following a meeting between Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai and his Chinese counterpart Chen Zhu in Beijing. Its members include food specialists and experts.
Liow had said that China would lift the ban after determining the allowed level of nitrate.
China is Malaysia's biggest importer of bird's nest products, valued at about 1 billion ringgit annually.
Wong said Chinese officials and experts were expected to visit Malaysia soon to see how bird's nests were processed.
Asked about the mushrooming of new swiftlet houses, mostly in the central region, Wong said the association did not have the latest figures as most of the new operators had not joined as its members.
Sarawak's first swiftlet eco-park in Balingian, Mukah, which will have 40 units of three-storey buildings and 15 units of three-storey bungalows, is expected to be ready next year.
The 40 million ringgit eco-park is a joint-venture between state Economic Development Corporation and peninsula-based Borneo Resources Synergy Sdn Bhd.
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