SOP, logistics needed to handle surplus food donated by hotels

KUALA LUMPUR: The Food Bank Malaysia programme introduced by the government must have standard operating procedure (SOP) and logistics to encourage hotels to participate, says Malaysian Association of Hotels president Samuel Cheah Swee Hee.

He said the hotels needed to be assured on several aspects before donating their surplus food to the public.

Cheah said contamination was among the major concerns when it came to distributing food.

“You need to determine it is not contaminated because if it is, it may cause food poisoning. The food must be kept and transported at the correct temperature.”

Cheah said several hotels had been participating in a food contribution programme with local surplus food salvage group Food Aid Foundation for the past few years.

He said this was not only done specifically during Ramadan, but throughout the year.

He said the hotels had full trust in the foundation, which had its own kitchen and SOP in collecting surplus food.

“Food Aid does the necessary testing to determine the food’s status before distribution.”

Cheah was responding to the call by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail for hotels to participate in the Food Bank Malaysia programme.

Besides collecting and distributing food for the needy, the programme is aimed at reducing food wastage during the holy month, Saifuddin said.

When asked if he would encourage hotels to join the programme, Cheah said Saifuddin must “reach out to them” as they had yet to communicate with one another.

He said although Saifuddin had been quoted as saying that the food’s halal status, cleanliness and safety were guaranteed as it came from hotels, the hotels needed assurance that the same standards were adhered to when it was distributed.

Cheah said hotels were taking effort to cut down food wastage by conducting live-cooking buffets, thus preventing a surplus of cooked food.

Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners executive director Shaharuddin M. Saaid said most international hotel brands would not release food outside their premises after three hours for fear of contamination.

He said this was to protect their brands as they were unsure how the food would be handled. The smaller hotels, he said, might not have any issues compared with four- and five-star brands as the former were not subjected to international regulations.

Shaharuddin said many hotels contributed to food banks, especially those in the Klang Valley and Penang.