In a recent string of crackdowns on local operators in food processing and manufacturing plants that skim above the law, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) has shut down yet another food manufacturing facility, this time in Segambut, over hygiene concerns.
And when we say concerns, we really do mean hair-raising concerns, because the state of the factory that they found it in can be described as nothing short of disgustingly filthy. According to DBKL’s official Facebook page, the factory was located on the YAMARICO TEA premises on Jalan Segambut Selatan.
Upon entering the food manufacturing plant, inspectors were immediately treated to an unbelievably grimy, dirty work environment where the noodles were being made, washed and dried. Rats were seen scurrying all over the floor, while rat droppings were also found on the premises.
The walls and floors of the food manufacturing plant were covered in grime, and the only bathroom available for use of the employees were similarly covered in dirt.
On top of that, three employees who were not local were found to have not received any vaccinations against typhoid and were not properly equipped with aprons and hair nets to ensure hygiene during the manufacturing of the noodles. Even the work equipment was found to be in a similarly squalid state.
The premises have since been forced to be shut down under Section 11 of the 1983 Food Act.
We hope that this is a much-needed lesson for those who run food manufacturing plants to ensure that their premises remain clean at all times! In periods of a public health crisis, cleanliness is absolutely paramount!
Also read: DBKL Finds Tofu Factory In Cheras Extremely Dirty, Smelly & Infested With Cockroaches