PETALING JAYA: The restaurant in which a rat was filmed eating in a food display has had its licence revoked by the local authorities effective immediately.
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim (pic) said that enforcement actions including confiscation would be carried out if the restaurant in Pandan Indah continued to operate after the revocation of the licence.
“MPAJ will only consider a new licence application if all conditions are met, especially when it comes to cleanliness," he said.
“The licence revocation is in line with the directive by the Health Ministry through the Selangor Health Department, which issued a closure notice on the eatery on Dec 24,” he added in a statement on Monday (Dec 26).
He added that previous records showed that the restaurant’s cleanliness rating was ‘Grade B’ in June 2021, with the last inspection carried out in January of this year.
A 15-second video of a rat eating fried chicken in a food warmer has been circulating on various social media platforms.
The video has received over 1.5mil views since it was posted online on Dec 23.
On Sunday (Dec 25), the state health department ordered the restaurant to close for 14 days and that six compounds had also been issued to the eatery for food safety and hygiene violations under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
Mohd Fauzi added that as of Nov 30, 1,057 food premises had been inspected and 259 compounds issued under MPAJ’s Food Establishment Licensing By-Laws 2007 and Food Handling By-Laws 2007.
"MPAJ takes this matter seriously and action will be taken against any food outlets that do not prioritise the cleanliness of their premises.”
The public can channel their complaints via http://aduan.mpaj.gov.my
