Login Register

Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - New food safety law in pipeline: ministry

New food safety law in pipeline: ministry

and | Publication date 17 May 2016 | 06:59 ICT

A meat vendor arranges cuts of meat at a Market in central Phnom Penh last year.
A meat vendor arranges cuts of meat at a Market in central Phnom Penh last year. Kimberley McCosker

New food safety law in pipeline: ministry

With food poisonings on the rise, the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft yesterday unveiled a new draft law aimed ay tightening restrictions on sub-standard or contaminated food.

The law would apply to all levels of the food supply chain – farmers, processers, packagers and vendors, according to Sat Samy, undersecretary of state at the ministry.

He said the Ministry of Commerce is also taking an active role in the drafting of the legislation. Punishments against violators will also increase, though the ministry did not offer specifics, as they have not yet been finalised.

Ly Sovann, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said the government recorded about 1,000 cases of food poisoning throughout the country last year, while this year, so far, there have been hundreds of cases already. If the trend continued, he said, 2016 would have more cases than last year.

He said the number of poisoning events was increasing largely as a result of improper hygiene when handling food, inadequate cooking or poor refrigeration.

Contact authors: Sen David and Igor Kossov

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm

Related articles