A netizen has taken to social media to expose a shocking lack of food hygiene practices by a restaurant in Mahkota Cheras, where a worker is seen preparing spaghetti at an unsanitary alley.
Following the netizen’s exposé, health authorities went to the restaurant to conduct an inspection but found the premise to be vastly different from what was shown online.
Worker seen cooking spaghetti behind rubbish-filled alley
In the post shared to a Facebook group named 皇冠城与双溪龙Mahkota Cheras & Sungai Long on Wednesday (June 25), it featured a 42-second clip which showed the worker stirring away inside a metal pot which contained spaghetti.
The camera then pans to a mountain of rubbish not far from the worker along the alley, where it consisted of plastic bags, cardboard and Styrofoam boxes filled with trash.
When the camera turns back to the worker, he is seen continuing to stir the spaghetti, where at one point he touches it with his fingers to see whether it was fully cooked or not.
Unsurprisingly, this made the netizen’s stomach churn in disgust and wrote, “No gloves, no utensils, just hands! This is extremely unhygienic and unacceptable for any restaurant. This is a serious food safety issue that could cause food contamination or food poisoning.”
The netizen also wrote that they will be filing a report to the local council and Ministry of Health (MOH).
No health violations found
China Press later reported that several health officials paid the restaurant a visit following the netizen’s complaint.
In a brief interview, Kajang municipal councillor Dickson Tan Tee Guan told the Chinese daily that the restaurant premises were were found to be clean, with a hygiene rating of 93 points (Grade A).
He added enforcement officers also inspected the back alley and found it clean, with no cooking activities taking place.
“All the staff have been vaccinated against typhoid, wore hats and aprons, and have attended the food handling course as required by the city council.
“As such, no enforcement action was taken because the operator complied with all the guidelines and hygiene regulations,” he said.
However, Tan conceded the restaurant may have carried out a major cleanup before the enforcement officers arrived after the online post went viral.
Restaurant responds
The restaurant also released a statement of its own, where it acknowledged that the health inspection did take place.
It also said it had taken note of the public’s concern regarding its hygiene standards and apologised for the “concern and discomfort caused”.
“We acknowledge the issue and are fully committed to cooperating with the relevant authorities in their investigation as we take this matter very seriously.”
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