SHAH ALAM, Sept 3 — The Selangor Health Department (JKNS) will adopt a rating system for 313 public markets in the state. This is an effort to ensure such premises are always clean and meet the stipulated standards on food safety.
Its director, Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman said with the rating method, consumers would be guided to make the right choice before visiting any public market to obtain fresh food supplies.
"The management of the markets will be provided criteria on how to make their premises achieve a five-star rating so that customers will know which markets are clean and these (markets) can be made as models.
"In this way, surely consumers will visit markets with high ratings and this will also inspire other market managements to ensure their premises are clean too in order to achieve the highest rating," he told Bernama today at the state-level World Food Safety Day 2020 celebration at Section 16 market here.
In order to achieve this, Dr Sha’ari said JKNS would work with local authorities in all districts in Selangor, starting with the Shah Alam City Council, and the effort is expected to be implemented by the end of this year.
He said the market ratings would also be displayed on JKNS official social media.
"After public markets, we will start rating food premises as they are also directly involved in compliance with food safety standards," he said.
Dr Sha’ari said it was through enforcement activities carried out on food premises in Selangor, from January to July, that a total of 165 premises were ordered to close for various offences with 78 premises issued notices under Section 32B of the Food Act 1983.
Therefore, he said, although various efforts were made to ensure that the sources of fresh ingredients are safe, all parties should also play their respective roles so that the level of food safety is always given priority.
Dr Sha'ari said the public was strongly advised to adopt five safe food guidelines set by the World Health Organization, namely hygiene, separating raw and cooked foods, proper cooking, storing food at safe temperature, and using clean water and safe raw ingredients.
— Bernama
