GEORGE TOWN: The city council here appears to have balked at an earlier plan to ban foreign cooks from preparing 13 types of hawker dishes at private eateries.
Factors such as labour shortages must be carefully considered before such a ban can be enforced, said Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
“We must seriously look at the current market. Finding workers is already difficult. And sectors such as hotels and cafes still require certain expertise,” he said.
Previous reports stated that the city council wanted to have such a ban in place starting this year.
Under the proposal, foreigners are not allowed to cook local dishes such as asam laksa, kuey teow th’ng, Hokkien mee, curry mee, wantan mee, loh bak, char kuey kak and oh chien in a bid to maintain their authenticity.
The proposal was to have impacted private hawker stalls, food courts and coffeeshops.
It does not apply to cafes, restaurants, hotels or franchises offering these dishes.
During MBPP’s ordinary council meeting here yesterday, Rajendran said that the views of business operators must also be taken into account, particularly given ongoing labour shortages.
He said the council is reviewing plans to enforce the ban by gathering public feedback, adding that a decision can only be made after deliberations by the relevant committees.
“Once everything has been properly considered and confirmed, only then will the council move towards formalising it through a by-law.
“At this stage, there is no need to introduce a by-law. The restriction can be imposed as part of licensing conditions during annual renewals, allowing action to be taken in the event of violations,” he said.
Penang has banned foreign cooks from working at MBPP premises since 2016 to preserve the authenticity of its hawker cuisine.
Rajendran said enforcement of this rule would apply only to hawkers operating at MBPP premises.
“Foreigners are not allowed to cook any type of food at such stalls. Hawker businesses are small-scale and are expected to be operated by their owners.”
He added that MBPP premises are allowed to employ foreign workers in non-cooking roles.
