KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has received 742 complaints on food hygiene nationwide.
Its Food Safety and Quality Division senior director Norrani Eksan said the ministry had taken action on all the reports, and 312 complaints were still being investigated.
"The ministry takes note of an article published in the New Straits Times on how eateries must prioritise cleanliness. The report also highlighted a viral incident involving the discovery of nail clippings in a dish at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, which is being investigated.
"The ministry views the issue of cleanliness and food safety seriously. One of the food handling requirements in the Food Hygiene Regulation 2009 is for all food handlers to attend the food handler training at an institution recognised by the ministry," she said in a statement today.
Norrani said among the training aspects are clean and safe food handling methods, including personal hygiene; raw ingredients handling; equipment, space and environment hygiene; and food storage.
She added that the ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division conducts periodic food safety health education and awareness campaigns for the public and food operators via food education materials, mass media, electronic media and social media.
The division, she said, also had been enforcing the Food Hygiene Regulation 2009 to monitor the cleanliness of food premises throughout the country.
"From 2020 to April 2023, we have checked 206,150 food premises with 4,050 (1.96 per cent) being ordered to close under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983 for being unhygienic.
"Apart from that, 54,820 compounds have been issued on various offences under the Food Hygiene Regulation 2009.
"The Health Ministry, through the Food and Safety Quality Division, handles all complaints with all seriousness and will investigate and take appropriate action. We wish to remind everyone to choose clean restaurants.
She said those who had any concerns about food safety could contact any health district office, state health department or go to http://moh.spab.gov.my (http://moh.spab.gov.my/), or the division's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bkkmhq.
"To assist with immediate action, the Health Ministry calls on the complainant to provide authentic and accurate information such as the complainant's name, telephone number and the name or exact location of the premises," she added.
On May 24, the NST published a 'Letters to the Editor' from a reader in Pahang, who highlighted the issue of food hygiene.
The writer had said eateries must follow strict guidelines for cleanliness and sanitation, including regular cleaning of cooking utensils, equipment and food preparation areas to prevent cross-contamination.
This was following a story published on May 21, where a woman had discovered six fingernail clippings while having lunch at a restaurant in the Klang Valley, recently.