GEORGE TOWN: Penang's famous roti canai stall at Jalan Transfer has been ordered to close for two weeks after it was deemed to have failed hygiene checks.
The Food Safety and Quality Department from the Northeast District Health Office, in a notice, stated that the closure order, issued in accordance with Section 11 of the Food Act 1983, was effective today until January 16.
It said following checks on the premises, the owner was issued a RM500 compound for failing to send its workers for food-handling courses.
The department also noted that the premises' hygiene standards were unsatisfactory, with fecal matter found on chicken eggs.
Also fined RM500 was a drinks stall located next to the roti canai outlet. The department said traces of cross-contamination were found in its ice storage unit.
The department had conducted the checks at 11am when the outlet was full of customers.
Checks by Harian Metro during the operation showed that many people were unperturbed by the hygiene issues. There was still a long queue at the stall despite the presence of health authorities.
Meanwhile, the shop owner, Shahjahan Abdul Hamid, said he accepted the closure order and apologised to the customers.
He said they would use the closure order period to clean up the stall.
"My former workers have all returned to India. It's this current batch of workers that I'm having a slight problem with," he said.
It is understood that the checks were done following a viral video, which showed that the stall's workers did not adhere to proper hygiene practices on handling food.
The 53-second video elicited widespread reactions from social media users, who called for the authorities to check the location.