A bean-curd food factory infested with flies and in filthy conditions has shown poor enforcement of food laws, leaving factories not bothered about hygiene.

In a raid conducted by the Health Department at Simpang Empat, it was found that a ‘foo chuk’ factory was operating illegally for the past 12 years.

The department’s enforcement unit chief Mohd Wazir Khalid described the place as not qualified at all to process food.

“There are many flies and it is possible that they could perch on the bodies of the dogs and contaminate the food,” he added.

The revelation has left Malaysians sick and disgusted because their food supply may have come from such factories.

Some have also accused the authorities of not enforcing the law in a meaningful manner.

Stephen Lam said, “14 days closure and RM 5,000 fine does not affect the factory. It is cheaper than upgrading the factory and paying for the annual license.”

He added that the factory will operate back to normal after cleaning up but after a while will not care about the hygiene.

Wazir confirmed that the factory was raided three years ago and was punished with the same closure notice and fine of RM 5,000.

But due to poor enforcement, the factory had been caught again over poor maintenance.

Ashok Raman claimed that operators are not concerned about cleanliness as they put profit before it.

“These people once found to be bad in their business activities should be banned from doing any businesses anymore. Blacklist them,” he said.

He agreed that imposing fines will not make any difference if the law is not reinforced.

He even questioned why is the factory allowed to be reopened when it is an illegal business.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE