Filthy factories: 10 food processing premises in Sandakan ordered to close

KOTA KINABALU: Ten food processing factories in Sandakan district were ordered to stop operations for two weeks immediately due to unhygienic practices.

Sandakan Health officer Dr Johari Awang Besar said following ongoing spot check operations this month, the factories were found to have violated multiple offences under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985.

“From our inspections, among the offences committed were workers not having food handling certificates, workers with no health cards, slippery and dirty floors, improper storage of equipment and poor drainage systems,” he said in a statement on Thursday (March 23).

The factories comprising six chicken slaughterhouses and four bread manufacturing factories were told to close in order to clean up their premises before they could reopen for business.

Checks also found ingredients being left exposed without proper containers and poor waste disposal systems.

Johari said such unhygienic practices posed a health hazard to customers.

“The customers are the ones to suffer from such practices and we will continue conducting similar inspections and operations to ensure the quality and safety of food manufacturing and processing in this district,” he said.

Apart from that, six compound notices were issued on the food processing factories.

Johari urged factory operators and workers to always adhere to food safety and hygiene regulations and advised the public to share information of any suspected wrongdoings in this matter to the department.