KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Rapid expansion of foreign brands in Malaysia's food and beverage sector will need to be addressed by stricter regulations on foreign involvement, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Fuziah Salleh said on Thursday.
Among the measures under review is lowering the business floor area threshold that would trigger mandatory impact assessments, Fuziah told parliament in response to a question on government measures to curb the aggressive expansion of foreign food and beverage brands as well as price-fixing practices on e-commerce platforms that could threaten the survival of local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
"We acknowledge that there are gaps in the current enforcement of the guidelines, as they were drafted in 2020. The ministry is in the midst of reviewing the guidelines and will introduce several enhancements," Fuziah said.
She also said the ministry plans to table a bill to address rising consumer complaints and to foster a more sustainable and conducive e-commerce ecosystem, and is currently weighing whether to introduce new legislation or amend the Electronic Commerce Act 2006. ■