Food safety in Malaysia is not considered an issue yet. From the previous year (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) records, the incidence rate of food poisoning had been fluctuating and despite that, cases continue to occur especially among school students. As a developing nation, it is high-time that Malaysia begins to emphasize on food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in the socio-economic development of the country, and at the same time, gain benefits in terms of economic returns and trade through food safety enforcement. Most importantly, public health is achieved through food safety implementation and accentuation. The current standing point of the Malaysia's food safety is discussed in this review. In addition, the review will also discuss the role of academicians as intervention contributions in tackling food safety issues. The review is hoped to provide valuable and concentrated information and knowledge to readers in the light to drive Malaysia into ensuring safer food for the public.

Bacteriophages are ubiquitous in our world, mainly in the oceans, soil, the water and food we consume. They can be used efficiently in modern biotechnology, as well as alternatives to antibiotics for many antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Phages can be used as vehicles for vaccines both DNA and protein, for the detection of pathogenic bacterial strain, as biocontrol agents in agriculture and food industry. This review outlines the properties as well as the influence of different external physical and chemical factors like temperature and acidity on phage persistence. A better understanding of the complex problem of phage sensitivity to external factors may be useful for other researchers working with phages. Furthermore, the applications of bacteriophages were described in this paper as well.

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The eating of fresh and minimally processed vegetables is getting popular among Malaysians. This trend poses an increased risk of food poisoning associated with the consumption of fresh produce contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease caused by several non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars, predominantly serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in fresh leafy vegetables such as cabbages (n = 40), lettuces (n = 20), and fruit vegetables such as tomatoes (n = 40), carrots (n = 40) and cucumbers (n = 40), which were sold by three different hypermarkets and a wet market in Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. The study was performed over a period of 13 months (January 2018 to January 2019). A combination of most probable number-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPN-mPCR) method was used to quantify the concentrations of Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in the examined samples. The results of this study demonstrated that of the vegetables tested, tomatoes, carrots and lettuces were not contaminated by Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium. However, the presence of Salmonella spp. was detected in 3.3% of cabbages from the hypermarket, with estimated microbial loads ranging from <3.0 MPN/g to 15.0 MPN/g. On the other hand, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium was detected in 10.0% of the cucumbers from hypermarkets and 20% of them from the wet market. Their microbial loads were ranging from <3.0 MPN/g to >1,100 MPN/g. This indicated that cabbages and cucumbers could be the potential sources of salmonellosis. Therefore, the monitoring of food safety and hygienic practices should be strictly enforced by relevant government agencies to avoid potential poisoning by foodborne pathogens.

Microwave oven is an indispensable tool in every household. However, the proper usage of the microwave ovens was neglected and thus, causing food safety concerns, especially microbiological hazard in microwaved heated food. Therefore, a survey was initiated to gauge the consumer's knowledge of microwave oven safety concerning the food safety of reheated food. A total of 29 survey questions was designed that covered 5 demographic questions and 24 others on the knowledge and practice of microwave oven safety and food safety attitude. The survey was blasted out to 329 respondents via email. Overall, 189 (57.4%) returned respondents demonstrated low level of knowledge of the microwave oven safety, which indicated improper education of the microwave oven despite knowing the norms on the microwave oven usage. In addition, consumers demonstrated low levels of practicing microwave oven safety. The outcome of the survey also showed consumer's neutral attitude towards food safety. There was no statistically significant association between the variables and demographic. The minimum knowledge of microwave oven and food safety shown by the consumers requires the attention to improve the food safety educational programs by including the knowledge on microwave oven safety for the betterment of the public health.