Overview

In Malaysia, the supervision philosophy of food additive is mostly consistent with standards and principles of international organizations such as the Codex Alimentarius. Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985 of Malaysia is the backbone of food legislation governing various aspects of food safety and quality control. The Food Safety and Quality Programme of the Ministry of Health (MOH) is charged with the implementation and enforcement of the law.

1. Competent Authority

The Food Safety and Quality Programme is the most important authority that implements an active food safety program, which includes routine compliance, sampling, food premises inspection, food import control activity and licensing of specified food substances required under Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. It also conducts a food monitoring activity on specific food contaminants and additives. As a preventive approach, the Food Safety and Quality Programme has been implementing a food handlers training program, vetting of food labels, giving advice to the industry and consumers, and food safety certification scheme, such as Health Certificate, HACCP certification and Free Sale Certificate. New food additives or the expansion of food additive usage scope will be reviewed by technical committee under the authority.

Another significant authority is the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), who is responsible for developing and promoting food standards.

2. Relevant Regulations

2.1 Food Act 1983

The Food Act 1983 is the fundamental legislation of Malaysian food safety program. The objective is to protect the public against health hazards and fraud in the preparation, sale, and use of food. The Act is divided into five parts:

• Preliminary matters;

• Administration and enforcement;

• Offences and evidence;

• Importation, warranties and defenses;

• Miscellaneous provisions.

2.2 Food Regulations 1985

The Food Regulations 1985 is the key supporting regulation for food safety, covering procedures for taking samples, labelling, food additives and nutrient supplements, food packaging, and incidental constituents, additionally, food standards and particular labelling requirements for more than 380 food items. The main legal basis for the regulation of food additives is found in Part 5, Subregulation 19 of the Food Regulations 1985, regulating permitted food additives that may be added to foods and the maximum permitted levels. 

Amendment of the Food Regulations 1985 is very frequent. All amendments are published in the Gazette or on the official website of the Food Safety and Quality Programme. Notably, ChemLinked's Regulatory Database gathers the Food Regulations 1985 and its latest unincorporated amendments. Documents can be found here.

Basic principles of food additive application are provided by the regulation:

No person shall import, manufacture, advertise for sale or sell or introduce into or on any food

(a) any food additive other than a permitted food additive; 

(b) any permitted food additive which does not comply with—

 (i) the standard prescribed in these Regulations; 

(ii) the Codex Alimentarius; or 

(c) any food additive other than food additive which has been approved by the Director in writing.

2.3 Food Standards

The use of food additives can also be found in relevant food standards. Food standards in Malaysia are developed by the Industry Standardization Committee under MOSTI. In general, the whole standard system was built on the basis of standards and principles of International Standardization Organization (ISO), Codex Alimentarius and International Accreditation Forum.

There are two types of standards, including national standards for all industries coded as MS (short for Malaysia Standards) + numbers, and equivalent international standards, which are coded as MS+ international standard code. Notably, standards in Malaysia are basically voluntary, except that those cited by regulations are mandatory. A certified mark can be labeled by obtaining official certification.

2.4 Guides

In addition to laws and regulations, the authority also issued guides to explain relevant compliance issues:

• Labeling Guidelines for Additives and Artificial Sweeteners; and

• Guide on Food Additive Functional Class Terms issued in February 2026

3. Definition 

Food additives in Malaysia are defined by Food Regulations 1985 as:

“Food additive” means any substance that is intentionally introduced into or on a food in small quantities in order to affect the food’s keeping quality, texture, consistency, appearance, odor, taste, alkalinity or acidity, or to serve any other technological function in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport, or storage of the food, and that results or may be reasonably expected to result directly or indirectly in the substance or any of its by-products becoming a component of, or otherwise affecting the characteristics of, the food and includes any preservative, coloring substance, flavoring substance, flavor enhancer, antioxidant and food conditioner, but shall not include nutrient supplement, incidental constituent or salt.

4. Food Additives Functional Classes

As noted in the definition, food additives are divided into 7 functional classes in Malaysia, as follows:

1) Preservatives (Regulation 20);
2) Antimicrobial agents (Regulation 20A);
3) Colouring substances (Regulation 21);
4) Flavouring substances (Regulation 22);
5) Flavour enhancers (Regulation 23);
6) Antioxidants (Regulation 24);
7) Food conditioners (Regulation 25);
 
Definition and general application requirements of food additives above have been listed in the Part V of Food Regulations 1985.
 
In February 2026, Malaysia issued a Guide on Food Additive Functional Class Terms, standardizing the translation of the terminology for food additive function class used on food labels. The MOH has provided a mandatory list of 30 functional class terms with their corresponding translations in Bahasa Malaysia. Manufacturers must use these specific terms when labeling products for the Malaysian market.

5. Permitted Food Additives and Maximum Limits

As per Food Regulations 1985 and the Guide on Food Additive Functional Class Terms, permitted food additives in Malaysia include those listed under the Food Regulations 1985 and those listed under Codex Alimentarius standards (Codex Commodity Standard & Codex General Standard for Food Additives - GSFA). If there is a discrepancy between the maximum levels established under Food Regulations 1985 and the Codex Alimentarius standards, the less stringent level applies. The following analyzes the requirements under the Food Regulations 1985.

Basically, only permitted food additive can be used in food processing within specified use limitations as required by regulation. Permitted food additives and maximum limits can be found in the schedules of the Food Regulations 1985. For some specified food for particular population such as children and infants, the regulation also lists permitted food additives.

Particularly, for flavorings, permitted flavorings substances that can be used in food are listed below as per Regulation 22.

1) Those listed in one or more of the following publications:

a) GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) flavouring substances published by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers’ Association of the United States (FEMA) contained in the Food Technology, a publication of the Institute of Food Technologists);

b) Flavourings, List of Codex Specifications for Food Additives (CAC/MISC 6); OR
 
2) Natural flavouring substance either in its raw state or after processing by traditional preparation process including drying, roasting, and fermentation.

The regulation particularly lists prohibited food flavoring substance; however, there is no other negative list of prohibited food additives, since only permitted additives are allowed to be used in food. Limitations on the use of permitted food additives are that they must not be used to conceal any damage to or any inferiority in the quality of foods. Food additive usage compliance in Malaysia can be found in ChemLinked's Food Check tool.

6. Specifications Standards for Food Additives

Specifications for food additives are introduced in standards of MS 1282 Part 1 to Part 9 for acid regulators, preservatives, antioxidants, flavour enhancers, stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents, solvents, anticaking agents, colouring substances and emulsifiers. Those standards contains specifications of food additives, weights and measures, contaminants, methods of analysis and sampling, and food additive manufacturing standards.

7. Application for the Use of Food Additives

New food additives or extension of usage scope should be evaluated by the Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants and approved by the Food Safety and Quality Programme. The assessment of applications to be made for existing permitted additives to be added into other standardized food items within the Food Regulations will mainly focus on the evaluation of technological function and proposed minimum and maximum levels, and exposure assessment for additives that have an ADI.

Official format for the application for the use of food additive can be found in ChemLinked Food Regulatory Database here.

8. Labeling Requirement 

A. Labeling of Food Additives Used in Foods

Regulation 11(1)(g) of the Food Regulations 1985 detail specific formats for declaring food additives on labels depending on the nature of the additive:

1. Additives with an INS Number:

• Format: "State functional class (INS number)" OR "State functional class (Name of food additive)"

• Example: "preservative (INS 211)" or "preservative (sodium benzoate)"

2. Additives without an INS Number:

• Format: "State functional class (Name of food additive)"

• Example: "flavour enhancer (yeast extract)"

3. Flavoring Substances:

• Format: "State functional class"

• Example: "flavouring substance"

B. Labeling of Food Additives

There shall be written on the label on the package containing food additive imported, manufactured, advertised for sale or sold, as per Regulation 19:

1. the words “(state the chemical name of the food additive or the International Numbering system (INS) for food additive number) as permitted (state the type of food additive); provided that in the case of flavouring substances it shall be sufficient to state the common name or the appropriate designation of that food additive in place of the chemical name.”;

2. a statement giving direction for its use; and

3. the words ‘For Food Use’ or any other words of the same significance in close proximity with the name of food additive or International Numbering System (INS) for food additive number.

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