KUALA LUMPUR, August 27 — Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) has expressed safety concerns about imports of poultry, beef, and genetically modified (GMO) dairy products from the United States.
The Opposition lawmaker cited an April news report from German broadcaster DW about how several countries – including the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom – have not imported American chicken rinsed in chlorine or beef containing growth hormones for decades, as these products don’t meet their food safety regulations.
During a debate on the Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties 2025 amendment bill in the Dewan Rakyat, Wan Fayhsal stressed that halal was not a single dimension in the Quran, but also included toyyiban, which he defined as “wholesome” in English.
“When we bring in American products – which we’re forced to purchase due to our tariff negotiations – we shouldn’t forget that American products are among products that are risky for consumption despite their halal status,” Wan Fayhsal told the House yesterday.
“I’ll give an example. Europe prohibits the import of dairy and meat products from the US because they are feared to contain various substances like chlorine and also possibly feed additives for cattle or chicken that contain hormones that can harm human health.
“We also know that the United States is well known for GMO products that undergo various scientific experiments and are sometimes not organic and, in fact, pose risks to our health.”
He urged Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz to treat American food products as a “red line” that should be monitored not just for halal compliance, but also toyyiban aspects to ensure wholesomeness and safety for human consumption.
“Don’t make it easy for American products, which we fear do not fulfil the standards of halal and toyyiban, to flood our supermarkets,” said Wan Fayhsal, adding that he supported the Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties 2025 amendment bill to protect Malaysia against export dumping from China and potentially unsafe food products from the US.
The Dewan Rakyat passed the bill in a voice vote.
Malaysian recently agreed to remove tariffs on 191 American agricultural products, including fruit, meat, grain, and dairy products, as part of Putrajaya’s trade negotiations with Washington. The US set a 19 per cent tariff on imported goods from Malaysia that came into effect on August 7, alongside tariffs on more than 60 countries.
According to DW, the EU has restricted US beef imports since 1989 because the American cattle industry sometimes uses growth hormones to increase meat and milk yields, although the EU does import non-hormone-treated beef from the US.
The EU’s scientific evaluation shows that daily intake of growth hormones like estradiol 17ß can cause cancerous tumour growth.
In 1997, the EU banned the practice of washing chicken in chlorine and other disinfectants to remove harmful bacteria. Food safety concerns are not about consuming chlorine itself, but the EU believes that relying on a chlorine rinse at the end of the meat production process could be intended to compensate for poor hygiene standards, like dirty or crowded abattoirs.
Nearly all EU countries ban the cultivation of genetically modified plants. But European governments are reportedly heading towards GMO deregulation, with the European Commission wanting to treat products of gene editing techniques as equivalent to conventional crops.
CodeBlue reported recently that Malaysia already permits American-style meat production practices like chlorine washes for poultry, with most local poultry slaughter plants producing chlorinated chicken.
Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) also permits the use of ractopamine, a growth promoter, in pigs though not cattle. The DVS justifies Malaysia’s food safety standards on the basis that they’re in accordance with international Codex Alimentarius limits.
Prof Dr Goh Yong-Meng, dean of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the Malaysian Veterinary Council’s Qualifications & Accreditation Committee, told CodeBlue that ractopamine, a beta-agonist, was linked to heart rate disruption, nervous system effects, blood pressure irregularities, and higher risks of atherosclerosis and cancer.
The highly controversial feed additive, used for pigs and cattle in the US to increase muscle mass, is banned in at least 160 countries, including the EU, China, and Russia.
