PUTRAJAYA, April 20 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued 2,188 notices valued at RM197,600 after inspecting 51,849 Ramadan bazaars in 640 localities across the country during the Ramadan Bazaar Hygiene and Safety Op from March 23 to April 16.

In a statement today, it said the compounds were issued involving various types of offences under Section 32B of the Food Act 1983 including not undergoing food handler training, did not take anti-typhoid injections and not wearing proper food handler clothing.

The ministry has also issued a closure order against 14 food premises under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983, it said.

The inspection of a total of 104,755 food handlers found that 93 per cent or 96,911 food handlers have taken anti-typhoid injections and 84 per cent or 87,832 of them have attended food handler training.

It said four compound notices for not wearing proper food handler clothing were issued to bazaar traders at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Segamat, Johor under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009. 

"The UiTM Segamat Ramadan bazaar site has also been ordered shut under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988," according to the statement.

The ministry said that up to April 18, it received a total of 17 complaints regarding food sold at Ramadan bazaars of which 15 complaints have been investigated.

"Corrective actions and advice have been given to the operators of the premises involved," read the statement.

As for food poisoning incidents, it said as of April 13, two reports were received involving food bought at Ramadan bazaars in Asia City, Kota Kinabalu and UiTM Segamat.

-- BERNAMA