All operations involving the selling of food, including in schools, must be licensed to ensure health and safety, says MPSJ president Noraini Roslan.
THIRTY-one out of 75 schools in areas under the jurisdiction of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) have been found to be operating without a business licence.
The local council said it issued reminders for business license renewal in December last year, but inspections from January to March found eight school canteen operators in Subang Jaya, four in Puchong, 11 in Kinrara and seven in Serdang/Seri Kembangan were still operating without a business licence.
Canteen operators are charged RM200 a year for a business licence.
MPSJ president Noraini Roslan said some canteen operators claimed they did not know they needed a business license from the local council as they were hired by the school.
"Some teachers also did not know of the requirement but in the local council bylaw, all operations involving trade like selling food must be licensed to ensure health and safety," she said.
Noraini said the inspection was an initiative taken by the council to check on the cleanliness of canteens, but it was also decided that the team should inspect the canteen operators' business licence.
The council's inspections also showed that some canteen operators were not vaccinated for typhoid, did not adhere to the dress code for handling food, hired foreign workers who were directly involved in food handling, and had poor cleanliness and food preparation practices like putting food on the floor or leaving food exposed.
The council did not close any of the canteens but did issue compounds.
She said the council would gather school canteen operators together to conduct a food-handling course and give them a time frame to comply with licence requirements.
"It's not so much the licencing, but compliance with all our requirements to ensure a safe and clean operation in the canteen," Noraini said, adding that a follow-up inspection would be done.
A report on the council's finding have been forwarded to the Petaling District Health Office and District Education Office.
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