177 food outlets in Penang shut down over hygiene-related violations

GEORGE TOWN: A total of 177 food outlets in Penang have been ordered to temporarily close over hygiene-related violations.

The 177 outlets were among 4,069 premises the Penang health department inspected between January and April this year.

State youth, sports and health committee chairman Gooi Zi Sen said that among the outlets ordered to close temporarily, following public complaints and checks, were restaurants, school canteens, hospital cafeterias and factory canteens that failed to comply with SOPs.

“The 177 premises were ordered to close temporarily to allow for cleaning and improvement works. The checks also found that workers at seven premises were not vaccinated against typhoid.

“Of the total, 122 premises or 68.9% were closed due to pest control issues, 49 (27.7%) had unsatisfactory cleanliness levels; and six (3.4%) were linked to food poisoning incidents,” he said at a press conference at Komtar today.

Additionally, he said 1,771 notices under the Food Act 1983 were issued for various offences related to premise hygiene and food handling.

Gooi said the department also received 241 complaints related to food premises this year. Of these, 185 complaints involved the cleanliness of restaurants and eateries, 12 involved supermarkets, nine involved stalls or hawker stands, and eight involved food courts.

He said other complaints received involved school canteens, childcare centres, preschool and hostel kitchens, food processing factories, catering services, and p-hailing services, with another 18 falling under other categories.

He said the action taken was not punitive but a preventive measure to ensure that food sold to the public was safe and did not pose health risks to consumers.

Gooi denied allegations that food premises could avoid enforcement action by using the services of certain pest control companies or that action was only taken against premises operated by specific ethnic groups.

“All enforcement actions are carried out fairly in accordance with SOPs, legal provisions and thorough risk assessments to safeguard public health, regardless of the type of premises or the operators’ background.”

As such, he urged all eateries to continue prioritising cleanliness, equipment maintenance, pest control and safe food handling practices.