{
  "id": 12846197,
  "title": "Gopeng MP calls for controls on food sold through e-commerce platforms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/gopeng-mp-calls-for-controls-on-food-sold-through-e-commerce-platforms-12846197",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T09:37:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/08/gopeng-mp-calls-for-controls-on-food-sold-through-e-commerce-platforms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pulau Gopeng MP Tan Kar Hing has called for stricter controls on food sold through e-commerce platforms, expressing concern that current regulations may not be sufficient to address the increasing popularity of the factory-to-consumer (F2C) model. The Malaysian politician argued that food safety regulations should encompass the entire supply chain, from production to retail, including sales made directly to consumers via digital platforms.\n\nTan questioned how existing legislation would regulate the purchase of food items by Malaysians from overseas suppliers for personal consumption. He pointed to specific examples, such as Indonesian basreng, kentang mustofa, sago tempe, and lap cheong, which he claimed achieved monthly sales of over 100,000 packets, 8,000 packets, and 8,000 packets, respectively. Tan also wondered whether the origin and ingredients of these preserved foods could be verified.\n\nThe MP emphasized the need for the health ministry to provide data on complaints, food contamination cases, and penalties imposed on cross-border online food suppliers. He also questioned whether the ministry had enough manpower, laboratory capacity, and enforcement resources to handle the additional responsibilities.\n\nTan suggested that Malaysia could learn from the approaches taken by the European Union and China, where digital platforms are given greater responsibilities for traceability, labeling, and providing food information online. He proposed that digital platforms act as gatekeepers and face enforcement action if they fail to comply with food safety requirements.",
  "summary": "He says current regulations may not adequately cover food bought directly from overseas sellers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Gopeng MP calls for controls on food sold through e-commerce platforms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/gopeng-mp-calls-for-controls-on-food-sold-through-e-commerce-platforms",
        "published": "2026-10-08T09:37:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}