PUTRAJAYA: The fried noodle stall at a Ramadan bazaar here has been ordered to close after a customer alleged there were worms found in the dish.
"A notice was issued under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983 as the stall was found to be dirty.
"The operator has to raise the level of cleanliness and food safety before the stall is allowed to reopen," Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement today.
He said during investigations, the Food Safety and Quality Division also found that one of the workers had not received their anti-typhoid shot.
"The worker was issued a compound. Three samples were also taken from the stall for analyses on microbes and foreign matter."
Dr Noor Hisham said the stall's operator also runs an eatery in Cyberjaya where raw ingredients were stored and cooked before being taken to the bazaar.
He said the ministry would inspect the eatery to obtain more information on how the food is handled.
A social media post had prompted the division to take action after a video of the fried noodle allegedly containing worms went viral.
The woman who posted the video claimed that she went to the bazaar at about 5.20pm and bought the noodle with "cuttlefish as big as the universe" for RM30.
On the alleged discovery of a clump of hair in a batch of kuih limas sold in Teluk Intan, Dr Noor Hisham said that the ministry had opened an investigation paper on the kuih limas' producer under the Food Act.
As of now, the division has checked 4,362 Ramadan bazaar stalls nationwide. A total of 77 compounds worth RM38,500 were issued under Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
Earlier Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he had directed the ministry's food safety and quality division to enhance its regulation at Ramadan bazaars following reports of unhygienic practices, spoilt food, and unsavoury items found in Ramadan bazaars.
"I have asked the food safety and quality division to enhance its enforcement, especially at places where we have already received reports," he told reporters on Friday.
At the same time, Khairy also urged the public to stay vigilant and be aware of the safety of food they planned to buy at Ramadan bazaars.
Khairy also reminded the public to immediately lodge a report if the food they bought was contaminated and warned traders to buck up or face action.
"If you don't feel confident with the food, you can take a closer look at the food and sniff it first before eating. This is one of the ways to ensure that the food is safe.
"I would also like to ask consumers to lodge a report quickly so that the local authorities monitoring the bazaars will be able to take immediate action against the stalls concerned." - NST
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