A nasi kandar restaurant owner in Seremban has come forward to deny claims that his staff were washing leftover food to serve to customers, following a viral video that sparked public backlash.
The footage showed a worker washing what appeared to be leftover ingredients, leading netizens to accuse the restaurant of recycling food.
Owner says food was never resold
In a video, restaurant owner Datuk Fadzil A. Bakar clarified that the food scraps were never intended for resale. Instead, they were being cleaned before being donated to feed stray animals.
No matter how you try to treat it, the food would spoil rapidly, and customers would be able to detect it,” he said.
Fadzil also said they have never recycled food, despite public accusations.
Request from an animal feeder
Fadzil explained that a regular visitor had been collecting leftover food from the restaurant for years to feed stray cats and birds.
The feeder, Manikandan Krishnasamy, confirmed this and said he had asked restaurants to wash the scraps first to remove oil, which can cause skin diseases in animals.
If they are oily, the animals will get mange,” he said.
Viral clip ‘damaged’ reputation
Fadzil expressed regret that the person who recorded the video did not seek clarification from the management before posting it online.
The action of the person recording the video was wrong, and entering our kitchen without permission is also an offence,” he added.
He said the viral post had tarnished his reputation, and a police report has since been lodged against the individual.
He did not rule out taking legal action over the matter.
Restaurant ordered to close
As a result of the incident, the restaurant was temporarily shut down under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983.
In addition, compound notices were issued under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
Fadzil said the restaurant is fully cooperating with the Health Ministry’s investigation.
