Food safety in Malaysia is not considered an issue yet. From the previous year (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) records, the incidence rate of food poisoning had been fluctuating and despite that, cases continue to occur especially among school students. As a developing nation, it is high-time that Malaysia begins to emphasize on food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in the socio-economic development of the country, and at the same time, gain benefits in terms of economic returns and trade through food safety enforcement. Most importantly, public health is achieved through food safety implementation and accentuation. The current standing point of the Malaysia's food safety is discussed in this review. In addition, the review will also discuss the role of academicians as intervention contributions in tackling food safety issues. The review is hoped to provide valuable and concentrated information and knowledge to readers in the light to drive Malaysia into ensuring safer food for the public.

Salmonella is the well-recognized foodborne pathogen leading the most research and surveillance attention especially from government agencies as well as in food industry. In Malaysia, Salmonella is one of the main bacteria which monitored by the National Laboratory Surveillance System. Previously, standard culture methods have always been employed by many laboratories for Salmonella detection in Food Surveillance Programs. However, more advanced detection methods will be needed to improve the sensitivity and specificity of Salmonella identification. In this review, Salmonella detection methods including conventional and recent advances in molecular-based methods will be discussed.

Salmonellae are highly pathogenic foodborne bacteria able to cause infection even at low doses. Infection by Salmonella from contaminated foods leads to gastrointestinal disease known as salmonellosis. Raw beef can be a source of human infection if the meat products are not properly handled, stored or cooked. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and concentration of Salmonella in the raw beef sold at wet markets and hypermarkets in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, using MPN-PCR and MPN-plating on Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate (XLD) medium. In addition, Salmonella isolates recovered from the samples were tested for antibiotics susceptibility using Kirby-Bauer antibiotic susceptibility testing. The incidence of Salmonella in the raw beef samples using plating and PCR methods were 64.63% (53/82) and 17.07% (14/82) respectively. The microbial concentration of Salmonella in raw beef samples ranged between 3-4600 MPN/g by MPNplating and 3-30 MPN/g by MPN-PCR approach. All isolates were found to be susceptible to imipenem, gentamicin, kanamycin, and chloramphenicol but resistant to cephalothin. It can be deduced from the results that raw beef can be a reservoir for Salmonella infection and the use of cephalothin (30 μg) in the treatment of infection due to these strains could be ineffective. Preventive measures such as proper temperature control as well as proper handling of raw beef in the market place are crucial to the minimization of any potential health hazard posed by this foodborne pathogen.

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This TPPCR commentary discusses the 2023 paper by Wilkinson and Bertaud, “End of life care in the setting of extreme prematurity - practical challenges and ethical controversies” published in Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.