Hasim Ismail (middle) in a discussion with other senior PPj officers during the operation to inspect food outlets.
If people avoid patronising eateries that are not rated Grade A, it may help encourage less hygienic eateries to improve their cleanliness, according to Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) president Datuk Seri Hasim Ismail.
“What sometimes encourages these food premises to not care so much about hygiene is the fact that the community would still patronise an establishment whether it’s clean or not.
“If the community changes its attitude to choose only Grade A eateries, this will encourage Grade B establishments to improve their hygiene or they will not have any business,” he said.
Hasim expressed this opinion after following a joint operation by multiple PPj divisions to inspect food premises around Presint 8, Putrajaya on Tuesday night.
“One of the main factors that we place emphasis on is cleanliness in the dining areas, kitchen, washrooms and walkways,” he said.
Another area that is of particular concern to PPj is food handlers who don't get their typhoid vaccine jabs.
A total of 13 staff at two eateries were found to have not gotten typhoid vaccine injections during the operation and were ordered to cease their duties on the spot. Hasim said that the workers would have to get their injections the following morning under PPj’s supervision.
He noted that the cleanliness of washrooms even in Grade A establishments were far from satisfactory.
Hasim said a good benchmark of washroom cleanliness was hotel washrooms, which was tended to by staff at all times, in contrast to washrooms at eateries that were only cleaned perhaps once a day.
“The best measure of whether a place is clean or not is to look at their washrooms. If the toilets can be kept clean, other areas are easier to keep clean,” he added.
The operation involving about 30 PPj officers from various divisions carried out inspections at 10 eateries.
A total of 13 compounds and four warning notices were issued, and a total of seven tables and 28 chairs were seized for being placed along walkways without prior approval.
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