21 chilli samples contained pesticide residues: Health Ministry

Source

By Bernama December 22, 2018 @ 3:09pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has confirmed that 21 chilli samples in the market did not comply with the standards under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 relating to pesticide residues.

Its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said MOH’s Food Safety and Quality Division had been monitoring imported chillies at the country’s borders and local markets.

“The monitoring had started since January, a total of 503 chilli samples including chillies from Vietnam have been analysed and the result found 21 samples (4.2 per cent) did not comply with the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 requirements relating to pesticide residues.

“Enforcement actions have already been taken. MOH will continue to monitor vegetables including chillies to ensure compliance with the act,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Noor Hisham said all imported foods were subject to the law and it was the responsibility of the related parties to ensure compliance with legislation.

He explained that failure to comply with the regulations is an offence and if convicted, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not up to three years or a fine or both.

The public with concerns about food safety issues may contact the nearest District Health Office or the state’s Health Department or through the MOH website http://moh.spab.gov.my or Food Safety and Quality division’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bkkmhq.

Yesterday, a local newspaper reported that smuggled red chilli from Vietnam was found to be sold nation-wide despite the government’s suspension of the import permit (IP) on the commodity since Sept 14.-- Bernama

Snake!!

Our Zoey is my hero,

alerting me to this...

Planting Design Idea

Spotted this in Putrajaya. Looks doable, and I think it would go well along the wall-fence that we share with our neighbours.

 We are always on the lookout for things to convert those bottles into instead of recycling them.
There have been so many reports in the news lately that only a small percentage of the plastic we send to be recycled is actually recycled. The majority ends up polluting our planet.
Source

What No Preservatives Looks Like

Left our homemade bread out just for 2 days.... one day too many!

That shows you how much preservatives are in the regular store-bought stuff which lasts a week.

No waste anyways... a little of the bread will go to feed the fish and the rest into the compost.

Our super juicer and chips from scraps

This juicer, Omega 8004, can do wonders. Great for juicing veges, and here making a dessert from frozen bananas. Looks disgusting, you almost have to eat it blindfolded.

At the same time, tried making chips from carrot scraps. Followed this video.

Didn't really turn out like that... a bit sticky

 But after toasting in a pan, it was passable.

Cope with weather

The edible garden and fish pond we plan to do will have to cope with weather like this.

Our heaviest downpours can really take a toll on smaller, more delicate veges. 

Pond Lining

Researching the cheapest material to line the ponds with...

Years back we had ponds lined with linoleum which worked really well. This pic was from 2003...

You can see it clearly top left of the pic. When choosing linoleum, don't worry about the design, just look underneath. This pond used a whitish backing, but I've seen dark grey which would be ideal.

Dragonfly on Aloe Vera

What a beautiful sight on our aloe vera.

Their babies eat my fish fry though. I still see fish growing up so I guess the balance is ok.

Harvest - blue flowers

Soak the blue flowers in hot water. Then use that blue water to cook your rice. On the right is our neighbour's donation of some leafy green, kale I think.

Neighbour's Donation

Both our neighbours have really healthy looking veges and herbs growing in their gardens. They look at our barren plot, and often end up donating veges to us!!  Today's gift...

Thank you neighbours :)

Singapore recalls Malaysian iceberg lettuce over pesticide content

This is a copy of this article.

Singapore recalls Malaysian iceberg lettuce over pesticide content
By Today Online - October 5, 2018 @ 10:57am
SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has issued a recall for iceberg lettuce after it detected high levels of pesticide in the vegetable imported from a Malaysian farm.

In a press release on Oct 4, the AVA said that the product is imported by Go Fresh Impex, and is for sale at NTUC Fairprice and Sheng Siong supermarkets.

“The AVA has detected high levels of Fipronil, a wide-spectrum pesticide, in (the) iceberg lettuce,” said the agency, which has directed the importer to recall the product. The recall is ongoing.

Iceberg lettuce sold at NTUC Fairprice under the “Pasar” brand name comes with a supplier code 40, AVA said. A supplier code is a unique code that identifies the supplier of the goods.

It added that consumers who have bought the affected vegetables may contact the respective supermarket outlets.

"As a good food safety practice, consumers should wash and soak vegetables to remove any pesticide residues, prior to cooking and consumption,” AVA said.

Plant Pot Idea

This is used to cook mee/noodles. It will make a nice hanger to hold small potted plants/veges.

WTFish!! Crazy prices here! I'll pass for now.

Materials that we are using

I will keep updating this post. Hopefully it will help you plan what you need to get started.

Fence

1. fencing material. we are using bits of recycled plastic fences and bought metal with pvc coating wire mesh
2. wood - for the frame/stands etc

Pond

1. bricks
2. plastic liner

water reservoir

1. pail
2. net cover for mosquitoes
3. hose to transport water to pond
4. t junctions if necessary
5. pump or powerhead
6. timer 1
7. extension cord
8. waterproofing container

vegetables

1. box at least 10 in deep
2. soil
3. coco coir
4. vege seeds/cuttings/roots etc
5. bricks for raised beds

main water

1. hose to fill reservoir
2. timer

rainwater catch

1. bucket
2. net for mosquitoes

compost heap

1. fencing
2. wood frame
3. cover
4. old 10 gallon pails/buckets

tools

1. watering cans
2. pressure spray
3. spade
4. cangkul
5. fork
6. saw
7. heavy duty stapler

Pesticide, fertiliser etc

1. epsom salt for plants
2. regular salt for snails
3. neem oil
4. soap

pending jobs

This is a to do list which I will be updating constantly as we learn and adapt the plan for our micro farm-in-the-city. This can also help you see what are all the items needed.

1. guppy pond
2. puyu pond
3. puyu pond cover
4. daphnia pond - scrapped idea - couldnt solve the mosquito problem
5. floating plants, duck weed source
6. water reservoir
7. waterproof power and extension cord
8. timer to fill pond from reservoir
9. timer to water plants from pond
10. irrigation system
11. timer to fill reservoir from mains
12. planting boxes
13. hanging plants on wall
14. air pruning basket bigger plants
15. fence to protect ponds from dog
16. compost bins
17. box/seat storage
18. covers for unsightly stuff

Materials to look out for / buy / repurpose

1. coconut coir
2. bricks
3. plant containers
4. daphnia bucket
5. jigsaw
6. fence
7. pond sheet
8. water mains timer
9. wood for storage boxes
10. waterproof paint for wood
11. puyu
12. staple gun
13. aquarium pump/powerhead
14. planting floats (from fruit shop)
15.