Keeping illness off our plates
Safety first: A food service worker wearing a cap, mask, and gloves at a restaurant in Petaling Jaya. — ART CHEN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: With an average of 1.6 million people worldwide falling ill every day due to foodborne diseases, the need to focus on food safety has grown more important this World Food Safety Day.
According to the World Health Organisation's World Food Safety Day report, at least 600 million people also fall ill annually from consuming contaminated food, with the cost to treat victims estimated at US$15bil (RM63.4bil).
ParkCity Medical Centre Dietetics and Food Services unit head Ng Kar Foo said that weather and humidity play a role.
'Managing factors that allow germs to grow are key to food safety,' he said, adding that to prevent contamination, food also needs to be covered properly.
He also backed Singapore's guidelines on food safety where cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for more than four hours.
'Those foods should be discarded after four hours. The four hours start from the time that the food is ready from the stove,' he added.
Amid growing concerns, Malaysian eateries are also stepping up efforts to prioritise hygiene and food safety ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM 2026).
Petaling Jaya Coffeeshop Association president Keu Kok Meng said its association members adhere to a check list of hygiene practices that prioritise food safety.
This includes ensuring all their workers get the mandatory typhoid vaccination once every three years along with taking a food handling course.
'All stalls are also regulated to ensure cooked and uncooked food is stored separately at all times with the containers fully labelled so we know when a batch is cooked or prepped.
'We also mandate that all our members have pest control services visit eateries monthly to check for any rat or cockroach infestation.
'Despite our efforts, rodent infestation is still a frequent problem due to all the uncovered drains near eateries, and I hope the local councils can help to cover them,' he said, adding that staff are also instructed to clean their eatery toilets every few hours each day.
He said that they were also hoping to encourage their members to reintroduce mandatory face masks for workers to further reduce chances of contamination of food.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said all restaurants under the association similarly adhere to strict hygiene protocols to ensure customers' health.
'Cleanliness is not only about hygiene – it's also about upholding trust. Our patrons, whether locals or tourists, must feel confident that the food they consume is safe and prepared under the highest standards,' he said.
Jawahar said some of the hygiene protocols include the use of separate ladles and utensils for each dish to avoid cross-contamination, especially between vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
'We also ensure that all restaurants have a weekly deep cleaning of kitchen equipment, exhaust hoods, storage areas and drains.
'Staff must wash their hands frequently and use gloves or utensils when handling ready-to-eat food,' he said.
He added that Presma was looking to enhance its hygiene efforts ahead of VM2026, such as introducing the adoption of a voluntary hygiene grading system and eco-friendly and sanitary kitchen practices.
'This will be a crucial time to showcase Malaysia's hospitality and food plays a central role in that experience, so ensuring our restaurants are clean, safe and welcoming will enhance tourists' confidence and encourage repeat visits.
'Our aim is to position Malaysian eateries as models of cleanliness and quality as we prepare to welcome the world in 2026,' he added.
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