Malaysian eatery under fire for ‘washed food’ in viral video may re-open after Feb 17

SEREMBAN: A nasi kandar eatery was featured in the news earlier this month after a witness allegedly saw one of its workers washing leftover food for the alleged purpose of using it again the next day.

This included pieces of chicken, mutton, and tofu, which had been offered on serving dishes but had gone unsold. The worker reportedly told the witness that this was the practice at the restaurant, which is located at the Palm Mall in Seremban.

While the Negeri Sembilan State Health Department (JKNNS) announced that it would be closing the eatery from February 3 to 17, the two-week period is almost over, which means it may open as soon as next Wednesday (February 18).

JKNNS said it heard about the eatery on February 3, the day a video of the “food washing” was posted on social media, going viral after it was shared more than 2,000 times.

Zuraida Mohamed, the state health director, told Sinar Harian at the time that she would send officers to look into the allegations.

“I saw a worker washing leftover food such as chicken, mutton, and tofu, which were clearly remnants of cooked dishes, before separating them into trays. At first, another worker tried to mislead me with an untruthful explanation, but eventually let it slip and admitted that the food would indeed be cooked again and claimed it was ‘not dangerous.’

I want to stress that this practice is completely unethical, unsafe, and extremely disgusting,” the netizen who posted the video said, adding that he did so to raise awareness that such things happen.

He also asked the people who saw the video to share it as well.

Dr Zuraida said that if the post author’s claims are found to be true, action will be taken against the eatery. However, she also advised the public to use the correct channels when filing this type of complaint.

A 14-day closure order under Malaysia’s Food Act 1983 was issued against the eatery. Under the law, health officials may order the immediate closure of premises where food is handled for 14 days if they have reason to believe there is a health risk to the public or a failure to comply with sanitation and hygiene requirements. This gives operators of food businesses time comply with the requirements while protecting consumers.

JKNNS advised diners to look, smell, and taste food carefully in order to avoid getting sick.

“Neglect of hygiene and food safety aspects can lead to incidents of food poisoning,” the statement warned. /TISG

Read also: Diner discovers centipede in noodles, raising concerns on food safety and hygiene