JOHOR BARU: Johor Health Department enforcement officers have confirmed that a restaurant in Skudai did not source its vegetables from a dumpster and upheld hygienic food preparation practices.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said that investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing regarding the restaurant's food sourcing or safety procedures.
The establishment had been linked to a viral video showing vegetables being scavenged from a dumpster.
Ling said that health inspectors visited the restaurant in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah on Dec 17, after previous attempts to inspect it had failed when it was closed.
The video had raised concerns about the restaurant's hygiene and food quality, as it showed individuals collecting discarded vegetables near a dumpster.
During the inspection, investigators gave the restaurant a cleanliness rating of 70 per cent on a risk-based scale.
"While the restaurant was not fully clean and food handlers were not in proper attire, the vegetables stored in the restaurant's refrigerators were found to be safe for consumption," Ling said in a statement today.
The restaurant owner provided receipts confirming that its vegetables were purchased from legitimate suppliers in the area.
The officers also interviewed a worker shown in the viral video, who admitted to collecting the discarded vegetables for personal use and denied they were used in the restaurant.
"Investigations confirmed the worker's statement and concluded that the vegetables were not intended for restaurant use. Although the restaurant was reprimanded for minor cleanliness and food handling lapses, it was cleared of any allegations regarding the use of scavenged vegetables in its food preparation," he said.
The restaurant owner, who had previously denied the allegations, called the viral accusations baseless and part of a smear campaign aimed at damaging the business's reputation.