Hi Taylen, thank you for your question and for dropping by our platform.

Apologies for the delay in replying. As a two-partner, owner-operated training provider, we don’t always respond to blog queries immediately, particularly when the question touches on broader regulatory categories like importation, which fall just outside our core MSME support scope.

Our platform is primarily focused on helping Malaysian MSMEs navigate food hygiene and safety training, food premises registration, and local compliance requirements under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009. We aim to provide accessible guidance for food business owners and operators on safe handling practices and food safety system implementation, rather than regulatory matters tied to cross-border trade.

For questions related to food flavouring importation, additive regulations, or export documentation, your own in-house regulatory advisory services are likely already aligned with the relevant authorities and we trust that such enquiries are well within your organization’s existing scope of expertise.

That said, we truly appreciate the engagement, especially from a well-established industry player like Silesia. We’re grateful for the interaction and always welcome dialogue that promotes greater regulatory awareness in the food sector. Wishing you and your team continued success as you grow your presence in the region and support excellence in the flavour industry.

Thank you for your question, and congratulations on starting your home-based business selling Char Koay Teow sauce!

As a home-based food business operator, you are required to register your food premise with the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia. This can be done through the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSIM) website.

https://fosim.moh.gov.my/fssm/public/home

Additionally, it is important to ensure that the food prepared and sold from your home-based kitchen is safe and complies with legislative requirements. Please refer to the “Home-Based Food Safety Guideline” published by the MOH, which provides detailed information to help home-based food business operator meet these requirements.

You can access and download the guidelines using the following link:

https://hq.moh.gov.my/fsq/garis-panduan-keselamatan-makanan-homebased?

Wishing you all the best in your business! If you have further questions, feel free to reach out.

Please note that permit/licensing by local government is not the same as MOH food premise registration. Any permit or licensing requirement is subjected to the local government’s by-law (e.g. City Hall / City Council / Town Council etc…) in the area you are operating. There are 151 local authorities in Malaysia as of 19/10/2023

In terms of Ministry of Health’s premise registration, only premises listed under First Schedule of the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009 need to be registered. Type of food premises listed under Schedule 1 of Food Hygiene Regulations are:

1. All food premises involved in manufacturing of food (designated as P1 in FoSIM)
2. All food premises involved in catering or mass catering of food (designated as P2 in FoSIM)
3. All premises where food is prepared, processed, stored or served for sale (designated as P3 in FoSIM)
4. All vehicle from which ready-to-eat food is sold.(designated as P4 in FoSIM)

You did not mention whether there is any processing (including repackaging) at your site. If you do, then your premise would probably fall into P1 or P3. If you are selling the food in the same condition as you have acquired it from your supplier and you do not perform any processing or preparation, then your premise would most probably fall into P0. P0 is not required to be registered with MOH. Nonetheless, you still need to get all the necessary permit and licenses from your local authority and other regulatory agencies.

Hope this explanation helps.

I take food from a supplier who has all the certificates and permit, and I resell the food from my supplier in my stall. Do I require to have any permit or licence to resell the food in my own packaging.

Thank you for your question. According to Food Act 1983, the interpretation of the word preparation includes manufacture, packaging, processing and any form of treatment. If there is any treatment to the food at your premise (e.g. application of heat) that changes the initial characteristic of your food, that could be considered as treatment/preparation.

The types of premises that needs to be registered is listed in the FISRT SCHEDULE of Food Hygiene Regulations 2009… which includes:

1. All food premises involved in manufacturing of food
2. All food premises involved in catering or mass catering of food
3. All premises where food is prepared, processed, stored or served for sale
4. all vehicle from which ready-to-eat food is sold

Hope this explanation helps.