Caught in the act: The rat eating fried chicken in the restaurant’s food warming cabinet. — Screengrab taken from social media
PETALING JAYA: The restaurant in which a rat was filmed nibbling away at fried chicken in a food warming cabinet has had its licence revoked by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).
MPAJ president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim said enforcement action, 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.
“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 yesterday.
Mohd Fauzi said the records showed the restaurant’s cleanliness rating was Grade B in June 2021, with the last inspection carried out in January 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 garnered over 1.5 million views since it was posted on Dec 23.
On Sunday, the state Health Department ordered the restaurant to close for 14 days and revealed that six compound notices had also been issued to the eatery for food safety and hygiene violations under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
Mohd Fauzi said that as of Nov 30, 1,057 food premises had been inspected and 259 compound notices 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 cleanliness,” he said.
The public can channel complaints related to Ampang Jaya via http://aduan.mpaj.gov.my.
