SRDC to continue grading exercise on eateries, chairman assures people
SIBU: The Sibu Rural District Council ( SRDC) will continue to conduct grading assessment on food premises under its jurisdiction.
According to SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, the exercise is crucial to ensure that all food outlets are clean and safe, adding that the grading is usually carried out bi- annually – in the first and second-half of the year.
“This will be an ongoing exercise ( for SRDC) slated for maintaining good level of hygiene and cleanliness at food premises within the council’s jurisdiction.
“The majority of eateries across the Sibu Jaya Township are graded B and C. The good news is that the number of those getting A is also increasing,” he told The Borneo Post in a telephone interview yesterday.
Sempurai also reminded operators of food premises that obtained low grading marks must work harder to gain better assessment.
“They must perform better for the next round of grading. If there’s still no improvement, then we might engage with Health Department to close down the premises so that they (operators) could clean up the place.”
Adding on, Sempurai said the inspection team would check on the toilets and the kitchens of the premises.
On another front, he said SRDC had banned the usage of polystyrene food containers in accordance with the directive from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
Moreover, the council also encouraged local shops and supermarkets to reduce the usage of plastic bags.
“Alternatively, (they can) use biodegradable plastic bags or paper bags. The will help in reducing the damage to the environment from the usage of plastic bags,” he added.
Based on a 2010 survey on major towns in Sarawak, food perishables accounted for 35 per cent of total waste, followed by paper at 19 per cent, soft plastics (11 per cent), hard plastics ( five per cent), garden waste ( five per cent), disposable diapers (five per cent), glass (three per cent) and wood (two per cent) – the rest of the composition comprised metal and construction waste.