GEORGETOWN: The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has ordered a Middle Eastern restaurant at Lebuh Chulia to close after discovering rat droppings in the food storage area, today.
MBPP licensing department director M. Bawani said the closure is for 14 days until Jan 30 for cleaning purposes.
She said the enforcement team also found instances of cross-contamination, where food items were placed on printed paper, and raw and cooked food were stored together.
"The premises' management claimed to clean the oil trap daily, but during the inspection, the condition was found to be very severe.
"The cleanliness level in the kitchen is unsatisfactory, and eggs and other food items are stored alongside paint and cleaning materials," she said when met today.
Bawani mentioned that the premises' management also failed to produce the Anti-Typhoid Vaccination Card.
"We have explained the cleanliness procedures and this inspection was to ensure that premises in Penang are in clean and safe conditions," she said.
Bawani said this particular eatery was one of three that received closure notices for 14 days, and the other two were a nasi kandar restaurant and an Indian cuisine restaurant in Pulau Tikus, both of which also had rat droppings in the kitchen.
She added that the two involved premises had received several fines before, but it was found that no changes were made by the owners.