Luyang eateries told to buck up on cleanliness
Published on: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
A City Hall staff advises this eatery worker on how best to store the plates inside this kitchen.
Several Luyang proprietors have been asked to do more about the cleanliness of their eateries as City Hall has deemed the state of the kitchens and toilets at these establishments to be less than satisfactory.A spokeswoman for the agency’s Environmental Health Department said – during a recent check by staff with its Food Safety and Quality Division (FSQD)– cobwebs were seen inside the kitchens at most premises and the floor was observed to be wet.
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“The toilets, on the other hand, were either not being kept as clean as they should or the fixtures were not in working order,” she said.
She said the operators of these outlets were informed about these shortcomings and advised to deal with them accordingly.
“They were given a grace-period in which to address these irregularities.
A Health Inspector points out the problem with the outlet between the kitchen sink and the drain behind this premises.
“A follow-up check will be made after this. Further action can be taken if we find that they have failed to take heed of our instructions.”
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She did not rule out the possibility of the operators being asked to close their premises until the condition of their kitchens and toilets improved.
“This has happened in one or two instances previously, when our peers from the ‘Pejabat Kesihatan Kawasan (District Health Office)’ have been present.”
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The spokeswoman said City Hall’s inspections last week were carried out as part of an endeavour to grade the coffeeshops and restaurants at the shophouses. Since 2014, the agency has been using the Federal Ministry of Local Government and Housing’s Food Premises Grading System (FPGS) to assess the cleanliness of eateries within its rating area.
Premises owners are awarded marks for fulfilling the criteria set out in seven separate categories as part of the grading score sheet.
Under the FPGS, an “A” – between 100-86 per cent of the total score – indicates that the premises is “amat bersih (extremely clean)”, while a “D” – 50 per cent or below – indicates that it is “tidak bersih (unclean)”.
The spokeswoman said the seven premises in Foh Sang received a “B” grade.
“Two scored 73 per cent, while the rest scored 76 per cent, 77 per cent, 80 per cent, 82 per cent and 83 per cent respectively,” she said.
“Eateries, which earn between 85-85 per cent, are considered ‘bersih (clean)’, per the Ministry’s guidelines.”
She hoped the Luyang operators would double-up their maintenance efforts so that their establishments might be granted an “A grade” in the near future.
“Our FSQD personnel provided the owners and managers at the premises with pointers and how this could be done.”
She said City Hall wanted to take a more holistic approach when it came assessing the cleanliness of food premises around the State Capital.
“As part of our ‘Love Healthy KK’ initiative we are looking at engaging more sectors of the community on this issue.
Four members of the public separately expressed their displeasure about the lack of hygiene at some eateries in Foh Sang last month.
SHERYL of Penampang was alarmed by the poor condition of the ‘self-service’ station at the premises she had gone to.
“I saw some unsightly black marks near the counter and there was dust around the containers in which the cutlery were kept,” she said.
“These irregularities have discouraged me from patronising the eatery again in future. I dared not go back lest I catch a stomach bug of some kind.”
NUR of Sembulan spoke out about the state of the pavement outside the kitchen for the premises she patronised.
“This area was wet and slippery,” she said. “I had to pass this way to get to the toilet which was so terrible.”
ANG of Likas and FLORA of Sembulan, meanwhile, were put off by what they claimed were the dirtiness of some of the coffeeshops there.
“The health authorities should step in to get the operators to clean up their act for the benefit of the public who eat and drink at these premises,” they said.
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