BINTULU: A bakery operating within a house here, has been ordered to close temporarily due to a multitude of violations, including a lack of licensing and serious hygiene breaches.
According to the Bintulu Health Division Office, the decision to shutter the bakery came after a raid conducted following complaints from customers who had purchased bread from the bakery and discovered foreign objects in the baked goods.
Inspections unearthed several alarming findings – the bakery was operating without a license, all employees were found to be untrained in food handling practices, and had not received the mandatory antityphoid injections.
“The unsanitary condition of the premises was another serious concern as the team discovered the presence of rat excrement with rodents actively roaming about during the raid.
“Apart from that, the overall state of the premises was deemed poorly managed and untidy, with raw materials and ready-packaged bread haphazardly lying across the floor, some even left exposed without proper covering,” the office said.
Other than that, the equipment used in the baking process was found to be dirty and rusty, a blatant violation of the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009.
As a consequence of these violations, the bakery owner was slapped with a RM1,400 fine.
The premises was ordered to undergo a comprehensive cleaning process within a maximum period of 14 days, after which they may be considered for reopening, pending compliance with all required regulations.
