KUCHING: The authorities will take action against 23 ice manufacturing factories throughout Sarawak that have been allegedly operating without licence.
Sarawak Health Department environmental health officer (Domestic Compliance Unit) Ahmad Zaidi Ujang said the errant icemakers are among the 45 operating ice factories in the state.
“This year, we have targeted about 23 unlicensed ice factories statewide.
“Action will be taken against these factories by the respective health offices for not having a licence or for not renewing their expired licences,” he told New Sarawak Tribune and its sister paper Suara Sarawak during an operation here today.
He said that in Kuching, four ice factories have been identified to be operating without licence, namely in Petanak and Bintawa areas.
Operating without licence is an offence under Regulation 394A (4) of the Food Regulations 1985, which states that no person shall prepare ice from any source for the purpose of trade or business unless a licence as set out in the 29th Schedule has been granted by the Director.
Added Ahmad Zaidi: “We will issue them a notice under Section 32B of the Food Act 1983 and seize the equipment used.
“The penalty, if convicted, is a fine up to RM10,000 or two years in jail.”
The factories will be instructed to close down until they get the licence approved by the Ministry of Health (MoH) deputy director-general of Public Environmental Health.
Also present during the operation were Health Department senior chief assistant director (Head of Domestic and Import Enforcement Branch) Eraou Batang, chief assistant environmental health officer Musa Anyang and chief assistant environmental health officer (Import Control Unit) Mohamad Haimi Jamaluddin.
