KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs is exploring use of the retort packaging technology to enable food to be kept for a longer time.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pix) said the technology would enable surplus food to be kept before being distributed to the needy.
He said the ministry had sent food samples to a private laboratory to test the effectiveness of the retort method.
A retort pouch is food packaging made from a laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils, allowing sterile packaging of food and drinks through aseptic processing.
“With retort technology, the food acquired is placed in airtight packaging and kept in a machine at 125°C for 25 minutes.
“So far, after the food has been sent to the lab for testing, it has been confirmed to be safe for consumption for us to benefit from this technology in future, for instance, when floods occur,“ Saifuddin said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PH-Kapar) on plans by the ministry to improve the Food Bank Malaysia programme since it was launched in December 2018.
Earlier, he said that up May this year, 177,245 households had been receiving food daily through this programme while 1,424 tonnes of surplus food was saved from being thrown away. — Bernama
