Health Ministry orders dirty mee tonggek stall in Putrajaya to close

SHAH ALAM - A food stall in a Ramadan bazaar in Putrajaya has been ordered to close by the Health Ministry following complaints about unsanitary practices.

This follows after customers who purchased food items from the stall posted pictures online of worms infesting the food.

After a thorough investigation, the ​​​Health Ministry through the Food Safety and Quality Division also found that one of the workers at the stall did not that the required anti-typhoid jab.

Three samples were also taken from the stall to analyse microorganisms and foreign matter, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today.

He stated that the trader needs to take immediate steps to improve cleanliness and ensure food safety before they can be allowed to operate again.

Similarly, public health officials also found that the trader in question has another premise in Cyberjaya where raw food is stored and cooked before being sold at the bazaar.

"“The Health Ministry will also conduct inspections on the premises to garner further information on the safety aspect of the premise,” he said in the statement.

He also said that the ministry has opened an investigation into a kuih limas producer for prosecution purposes after the public complained that they found lumps of hair in said food product.

“A total of 4,362 Ramadan bazaar premises have been inspected and 77 compounds totalling RM38,500 issued while 178 food samples were collected for analysis under Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.

“Under the Food Act 1983, offenders are liable to compounds not more than RM100,000 or a jail term up to 10 years, or both,” he said.

He advised the public to contact any district or state health departments, through the ministry’s Public Complaints Management System, or the division’s Facebook page to voice their concerns.