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A Kota Kinabalu shopping centre risks having its food-court closed, if it fails to meet City Hall’s requirements as regards the level of cleanliness and hygiene in this part of the building.

A spokeswoman for the agency’s Environmental Health Department said the management company (MC) for the property was obliged to keep the common areas around the food-court spick and span.

To this end, she said the company’s staff should make regular inspections of the food-court, during the shopping centre’s operating hours, to assess the cleanliness of the floor and the free-seating area.

“They should ensure that that the floor, as well as the surface of tables and chairs used by the food-court patrons, is not soiled with traces of food and drink,” she said.

“We were made to understand that the MC’s cleaners tended to the floor while the building was open. However, they only dealt with the chairs and tables in the free-seating area after the shopping centre closed for the night.”

She said the firm was urged to solicit the cooperation of the 22 operators at the shopping centre’s food-court to supplement efforts to keep these chairs and tables in good order throughout the day.

“We recommended that each of these operators be given the task of looking after the cleanliness of the floor, chairs and tables nearest to each of their premises. They should mop or wipe down the surfaces in their individual sections promptly, as and when it warrants doing so.” 

She said the due diligence on the part of these operators, when taken in tandem with the cleaners, would go a long way to ensuring that the food-court adhered the agency’s standards.

“City Hall will periodically check on the cleanliness of this part of the shopping centre. If we find it wanting, then we will not hesitate to call for the food-court to be shuttered.”

The spokeswoman was responding to a Luyang patron’s feedback about the lack of care taken to wipe the table-tops in the common eating area for the food-court.

BILLY said customers were often forced to place their plates of food on table-tops which were soiled with the traces of food left by the previous users. 

On occasion, he said, bits of food could even be found on the benches attached to these tables. 

“These are most unhygienic conditions for one to take a meal,” he said. “I would like to find out how the building’s management could be allowed to treat the health and wellbeing of those who go to eat in the food-court so lightly. 

“Do they have a cleaner to wipe down the tables and benches in the common dining area, when this is required?” 

He claimed to have taken his lunch at the food-court on five separate occasions over the past few months and not once, during these instances, did he catch sight of anyone whose task it was to attend to the soiled tables and benches in the common area.

“Basic food handling etiquette requires that a table be wiped clean after it has been cleared of the food and drink implements used by the previous patrons. This is a standard necessity per the mandatory food handling practices established by every local authority in the State. 

“As such, how can the management be allowed to get away with leaving diners to make use of tables and benches which are unclean?”

During his most recent dining experience, Billy said he met an Australian tourist who was eating at the food-court.

“I realised then that even international visitors to KK were drawn to the eateries here. I can only imagine what these tourists would make of the poor level of hygiene which was evident from the lack of care taken to keep the tables in the common area clean.”

The spokeswoman said two staff with City Hall’s Food Safety and Quality Unit (FSQU) inspected the food-court, shortly after learning of the diner’s concerns.

She said they were accompanied on this occasion by three staff from the shopping centre’s MC.

“Our health inspectors found the standards of cleanliness in the food-court to be acceptable,” she said. “None of the table-tops in the free-seating area were observed to be unclean.” 

She said the agency’s personnel went to each of the 22 premises in this part of the shopping centre.

“They were briefed on the relevant requirements and given pointers on how they might contribute to improve the overall hygiene of the food-court.

“The MC’s staff also had a word with these tenants about maintaining the cleanliness here. Representatives from the individual units were formally required to acknowledge that they had agreed to abide by the company’s guidelines.”