GEORGE TOWN – Three food premises here were ordered to close for 14 days after rat droppings were found in a store for raw materials during the Ops Tegas conducted by the Penang Island City Council yesterday.
In a statement, the council said the order for the eateries to shut down until January 30 was issued under the council’s Food Establishment By-laws 1991.
“The operation was conducted by 11 officers from the Licencing Department, with the assistance of two officers from the Enforcement Department and two officers from the Public Relations Department, to ensure that food establishments on Penang Island adhere to the set cleanliness standards.
“Five premises in George Town were inspected and three were ordered to close after checks at the store for raw materials detected the smell of rat urine and led to the discovery of the rat droppings,” the statement said.
The city council said the five premises were also served with a notice of offence according to Section 47(1) of the Drainage and Building Act 1974 for not maintaining oil traps. – January 18, 2024