City Hall clamping down on Sembulan, Inanam eateries
Published on: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The cooking pots and serving trays being washed on the pavement in Sembulan are seen above.
CITY Hall has been clamping down on the unhygienic practices taking place at eateries within its rating area, with a Sembulan food operator being taken to task for dishwashing and waste disposal infractions, recently, while another in Inanam was warned about several irregularities, including the unsightly crockery used at the premises.
The former was slapped with three compounds, amounting to RM700 in total, for contravening the agency’s Food and Eating Premises By-Laws 1966 and its Anti-Litter By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2005).
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The latter, on the other hand, was served with a “notis penambahbaikan (improvement notice)” from City Hall’s Environmental Health Department (EHD).
This action was prompted by separate feedback about the deteriorating condition of the pavements at the back of some units at the Sedco Shophouse in Sembulan, as well as at the Inanam Point commercial centre.
The members of the public who spoke out about this problem provided Hotline with the pertinent details.
This information was forwarded to the agency.
City Hall staff checking on the condition of the pavement behind several shops at Inanam Point.
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An EHD spokeswoman said seven inspections were made of the Sedco Shophouse at different times of the day and night over a three week-period.
She said the Health inspectors observed that the concrete surface of the pavement, closest to the road in this part of the building, was chipped in places.
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“The first check was conducted jointly with our Engineering Department colleagues, after our sewage contractor found that the manhole behind one of the coffeeshops was full of grease,” she said.
“The proprietor of the premises in question was compounded RM300 under our Food and Eating Premises By-Laws in this instance.”
A second compound for the same amount was issued to the shop operator eight days later for another violation under the same By-Laws, according to her.
“We had received word that effluent from the manhole was overflowing onto the pavement.
“The shop operator told EHD personnel that a private contractor had been engaged to attend to the problem.
“However, during their night-time surveillance, our staff witnessed one of the eatery’s workers washing the cooking pots and serving trays on the pavement outside the premises.”
FSQ personnel pointing out the irregularities they spotted to a senior staff at this Inanam eatery.
She said a basin and some of the soiled trays had been placed on the road.
“Water, running through a hose, was emptying into the basin. The worker was dipping the trays into the basin before soaping them up and washing these items.
“Our inspectors couldn’t understand why this was being done on the road instead of at the sinks inside the shop. We came down hard on the eatery owner for this unacceptable and unclean practice.”
The spokeswoman said a RM100 Anti-Litter compound was given to the individual, during the follow-up inspection two weeks later to determine if he/ she had made the necessary repairs to the manhole.
“The manhole had been properly dealt with but our personnel noticed that waste water from his/her grease trap was flowing onto the pavement outside the shop’s kitchen.”
In the case of the coffeeshop at the Inanam Point commercial centre, she said, City Hall staff failed to find any evidence that soiled water from the eatery’s kitchen was being drained onto the five-foot way at the back of the premises.
She said personnel with the agency’s Food Safety and Quality Unit went to the coffeeshop on two separate days: around 11am for the first check and at 8pm on the second.
During the former inspection, they had the premises and nine other eateries in the vicinity graded, according to her.
“All these shops received a grade B. Four of them fulfilled 85 per cent of our criteria and two met 79 per cent of these requirements,” she said.
“The remainder fulfilled 81 per cent, 82 per cent and 83 per cent, 84 per cent respectively.”
The coffeeshop at the heart of the investigation met 83 per cent of City Hall’s criteria, according to her.
“Nevertheless, some of the plates and bowls at the premises were found to have stains which could not be washed out.”
Eatery operators around Kota Kinabalu have been told that they are not allowed to use such crockery, according to her.
“On top of this, some of the attendants were not wearing their food handler ID cards, at the time of the checks, and the shop’s toilet was found to be in a disorderly state.”
She said the proprietor was notified to pull up his/her socks and address these shortcomings with immediate effect.
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