Penang eatery issued corrective orders over roach leg found in food, says exco

2026-03-26 - 09:40

Batu Uban assemblyman A Kumaresan said a staff member discovered the cockroach leg in the food while dining at the eatery, leading to an official complaint with MBPP and health authorities. (Kumaresan Aramugam Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: A Penang eatery has been issued corrective and improvement orders after being accused of poor hygiene following the alleged discovery of a cockroach leg in its food, says state exco member Daniel Gooi. The youth, sports and health committee chairman said the state health department was alerted to a complaint from Batu Uban assemblyman Kumaresan Arumugam about Restoran Kapitan on Pitt Street in George Town. The Timur Laut health office’s food safety and quality unit then inspected the premises on March 16. “The investigation found the eatery’s cleanliness to be satisfactory and that several improvements had been made. However, some aspects still require fixing. “Therefore, corrective and improvement orders were issued to the premises’ operator to ensure full compliance with the Food Act 1983 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009,” said Gooi in a statement. Gooi said the operators had also been given health education on maintaining cleanliness, safe food handling and regulatory compliance. “Monitoring and enforcement actions will be taken from time to time to protect consumer health,” he added. Earlier, Kumaresan said the discovery was made by a staff member, and that an official complaint had been lodged with health authorities and the Penang Island City Council. He questioned why no compound or closure order was issued against the eatery, claiming only routine checks were conducted and no further action could be taken as the restaurant’s cleanliness was found to be satisfactory.