KL eateries’ food contamination at less than 15%, says report

KUALA LUMPUR (June 23): Is it safe to eat out in Kuala Lumpur?

Recent reports of restaurants and eateries being closed down owing to poor hygiene in the Klang Valley have made city folk more wary but how bad is the situation, really?

According to a report by The Star today, the rate of food contamination in eateries in the city is less than 15%.

This is based on random food samplings by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

While this was an acceptable figure, there is still room for improvement in hygiene standards, said DBKL Health and Environment Department director Dr Noor Akma Shabudin.

“The presence of bacteria such as E. Coli means that the food is contaminated with faecal material,” she told The Star.

The daily also reported that DBKL carries out microbiological tests in eateries to check for the presence of E. coli, coliform, Staph aureus, diphtheria and Salmonella.

“It’s all about good personal hy­­giene. Workers need to wash their hands with soap before handling food and avoid handling food with bare hands,” she said

Dr Noor Akma also revealed that most bad food samples were found to be mostly contaminated with either E. coli or coliform.

“We have several units that moni­tor food safety and hygiene, including at the food manufacturing stage in factories,” she said.

Earlier this month, a restaurant in KL was fined RM3,000 by a Magistrate’s Court for serving curry chicken containing the salmonella bacteria.

Magistrate Wong Chai Sia imposed the RM3,000 fine on ABC Food Corner, after its owner Ayoob Khan Muhamad Yakub, 56, pleaded guilty to committing the offence at Jalan 9/125D, Desa Petaling here, at 10.40am on Oct 3 last year.

Meanwhile, Raj’s Banana Leaf in Bangsar had its operating licence revoked about two weeks ago.

Raj’s “burst” into the “limelight” when a video showing some of its workers washing utensils in a puddle of water in a pothole outside the eatery was widely circulated on social media.

DBKL conducts raids on dirty restaurants and weekly checks, including night inspections, to ensure restaurants follow cleanliness guidelines.