New body to oversee food safety, quality

THE government has established a statutory body called the Brunei Darussalam Food Authority (BDFA) as a regulatory and competent authority to oversee food safety and quality in the country.

According to a statement from Brunei’s Ministry of Health on Saturday, the BDFA’s vision is to ensure that food products in Brunei are safe, clean and of good quality, ultimately protecting consumer safety and health.

“Thus, the mission of the BDFA is to establish a robust food regulatory and safety system in Brunei to support the vision,” the statement said.

It also said that BDFA’s role and function was to increase public awareness on food safety, standards and food labelling, and to implement and facilitate training and education for food operators and members of the public involved in the handling or the supply of food, and minimise the risk of food contamination.

The authority also played a role in regulating food importation and exportation, production, processing, and transportation including transits, as well as to ensure that the food supply chain from manufacturing, retail and distribution to the consumers were done safely and in an orderly manner.

Some functions and responsibilities under the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism will be consolidated into BDFA to achieve BDFA’s objective, to serve as a single point of contact in food-related matters.