‘Eateries must ensure cleanliness, proper waste management’
BINTULU: Coffee shop and restaurant operators here have been reminded to ensure that they keep their business premises clean, both on the inside and outside.
Bintulu Development Authority ( BDA) assistant general manager ( Environmental Services) Wan Ibrahim Wan Ali said there were some food operators who only focused on the cleanliness within their premises, without paying attention to what is happening outside.
Wan Ibrahim was referring to rubbish being discarded and water waste being discharged into drains by some food operators, resulting in major blockage and posing potential health risks to customers.
“We want to kill this habit and increase the level of awareness on cleanliness among coffee shop and restaurant operators as well as proper waste management.
“We receive many complaints every day. Cleanliness is not only within the premises but the same intensity should be given to the surrounding area,” he said during the soft launch of a cleanliness competition for coffee shops and restaurants yesterday.
Wan Ibrahim also urged the operators to give their workers training on proper food handling, while suggesting that relevant agencies, including BDA, conduct practical training for workers instead of just theoretical courses.
The coffee shops and restaurants in Bintulu are being categorised from grades A to D based on their scores in five areas, namely toilet facilities and cleanliness, food and drinks preparation area, serving area, personal hygiene, and licensing and health requirements.
“Through this competition, BDA hopes that premises with Grade C strive to achieve Grade B and subsequently Grade A.
“No point in having this competition if we cannot improve the standard of their services,” he added.
Meanwhile, Food Technology officer Sylvester William Silan from Bintulu Health Office revealed that a total of 22 food premises in Bintulu have been ordered to close for 14 days by the Health Department for violating hygiene standards.
He said most of the premises exhibited a low level of hygiene when storing raw ingredients, as well as problems with rats and cockroaches.
This year’s competition involved 45 restaurants and 262 coffee shops here. The competition has been organised by Rotary Club of Bintulu Central for the past 20 years.