Penang orders closure of 177 food premises over hygiene violations

GEORGE TOWN, June 16 — A total of 177 food premises in Penang have been ordered to temporarily close for various hygiene violations following inspections of 4,069 premises by the Penang Health Department (JKNPP) from January to April this year. 

State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Gooi Zi Sen said the enforcement action involved various categories of premises, including restaurants, eateries, school canteens, hospital cafeterias, and factory canteens, which were found to have failed to comply with established hygiene and food safety standards, based on operations and public complaints. 

“The majority complied with the required hygiene standards. However, 177 premises were ordered to close temporarily to allow for cleaning and improvement works to be carried out. At the same time, workers at seven premises were found to have failed to obtain typhoid vaccinations. 

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

In addition, he said 1,771 notices under Section 32B of the Food Act 1983 were issued for various offences related to premise hygiene and food handling, with 204 operations conducted across the state.

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

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

He said the actions taken were not punitive, but as a preventive measure to ensure that food sold to the public is safe and does not pose health risks to consumers. 

Gooi also 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 standard operating procedures (SOPs), legal provisions and thorough risk assessments to safeguard public health, regardless of the type of premise or background of the operators,” he said. 

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