Bakery outlet ordered to close and conduct rat clean-up

PETALING JAYA: The Komugi Bakery at a mall in Kuala Lumpur has been told to close and conduct an immediate clean-up after a rat was found on a tray of its freshly-baked bread.

The bakery can only reopen when Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) deems its cleanliness, pest control, housekeeping and waste management are satisfactory.

“The period of closure is indefinite until these conditions are fulfilled,” said DBKL health and environment department director Dr Hayati Abdullah.

She added that the bakery was already closed when City Hall officers reached its premises.

Dr Hayati said no penalty will be imposed on the bakery as the economic loss during the closure would be much more than the value of the compound fine.

The bakery had earlier apologised for the “unfortunate incident”, saying that the presence of rodents was "a known issue” at the mall.

Komugi said there are on-going efforts to ensure that all its outlets and products are not affected by "pest issues" in malls.

"We hope this doesn't deter you from your support towards our brand," it said.

The bakery chain has 11 outlets in the Klang Valley and one in Kuching.

Photographs of a rat on top of a tray of freshly-baked bread started circulating on social media after Facebook user Melon Roux uploaded the pictures on Sunday.

She did not mention the name of the bakery chain, but Komugi's signature yellow twirls were seen in the picture.

She said she was "stunned for a second" when she saw the rat.

"Returned all the pastries that was on my tray and told one of the staff about this. Hopefully in the future they will be more alert," she said.