Sandakan chicken slaughterhouse is compounded
Published on: Thursday, September 29, 2022
By: Mardinah Jikur
SANDAKAN: A chicken slaughterhouse here was compounded RM2,500 for having no Food Safety Guarantee Programme (PJKM) and ordered to close a maximum 14 days for cleaning up. This follows an inspection of its operations at the food processing premises by the Sandakan Regional Health Office (PKKS) and the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS).
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Sandakan Health Officer Dr Johari Awang Besar said two other chicken slaughterhouses were also given notice of RM2,500 per premise for not having PJKM under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
However, another premise was praised for the best level of cleanliness.
Dr Johari said the four inspected premises were among the six chicken slaughterhouses in Sandakan which did not have the PJKM yet.
Last August, two of them were also inspected where one was also ordered to close for 14 days for the necessary cleaning work.
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“Cleanliness and the PJKM is very important in ensuring that chicken supplied to consumers is clean and safe to eat,” he said, after leading the operation, Tuesday.
“We expect these six slaughterhouses to have PJKM and Mesti certificates by next year,” he said.
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Dr Johari said the health office is always ready to provide guidance on the practice of PJKM to any food processing premises such as factories and slaughterhouses.
Among the reasons why the parties still do not have PJKM is the absence of food quality officers at their premises.
In Sandakan, currently, there are 39 food processing factories that already have MesTI, which is 40 per cent of the 96 factories in Sandakan.
“My target is that in June 2023, it will rise to 75 per cent for food processing factories here to have the certificate,” he said.
Johari said inspections with relevant agencies would be conducted from time to time to ensure slaughterhouses and factories comply with health and safety standards.
Meanwhile, a bakery that was ordered to close after a recent inspection was allowed to reopen starting today (Wednesday).
The premises had made improvements and got a score of 78 per cent after a re-inspection on Wednesday.
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