Having designated areas for roadside hawkers will help local councils monitor them better.
HAVING a database of roadside hawkers is important as it could provide a safety net, especially for consumers in cases of food poisoning, associations say.
Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim) secretary Hussein Ibrahim said local councils should also create designated zones for them.
“There has to be a system where the government can immediately get details on roadside hawkers, just like restaurants.
“At the moment, although consumers can report incidents to the Health Department, it will take time to conduct investigations as some of these businesses are not registered.
“It is different when a report is lodged about a restaurant; the Health Department would be able to conduct immediate investigations,” he said when contacted.
There were also cases where food businesses operated from home, with the product being sold on social media, he pointed out.
“I urge the government to look into this matter before anything untoward happens. We need to have preventive measures,” he stressed.
Citing an example, Hussein said there were roadside hawkers at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, catering to those travelling to work in Singapore.
“Instead of letting them set up temporary stalls, the government should provide a suitable location for them.
“This way, not only will they be registered, we can also ensure the safety of the food,” he added.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) Johor member Mohammad Raffi Beran said restaurant owners were often treated unfairly compared to roadside hawkers.
“My restaurants will be visited by the Health Department every month, but they don’t seem concerned about the hawkers across the road.
“When it comes to food safety, the authorities must be fair to all businesses regardless of whether they are big or small,” he said.
Mohammad Raffi said there were cases where roadside hawkers did not have their typhoid jabs.
The majority of these hawker stalls were opened during the Covid-19 pandemic to allow people to earn a living during tough times, he said.
“But now, local councils should go to the ground and start regulating these businesses,” he said.
