ALOR GAJAH, March 16 (Bernama) -- Consumers have been urged to be more sensitive with their purchases at the Ramadan bazaar to avoid buying stale or contaminated food.

Melaka Health Department director Dr Ruzita Mustaffa said that the practice of 'lihat' (see), 'hidu' (smell), 'rasa' (taste) should be adopted when purchasing items in open areas.

“The role of both the food buyer and trader is important in ensuring that the food bought and sold is clean and safe to eat.

“During this fasting month, consumers will choose the Ramadan bazaar to buy food, and that's why we advise them to first pay attention to the food they want to buy and choose a trader who complies with the conditions including wearing an apron and hat and using tongs when serving,” she told reporters after conducting a walkabout at the Alor Gajah Ramadan Bazaar here today which was also attended by the state Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem.

She was commenting on the viral incident on Tuesday involving a visitor from Johor Baharu who stopped by the Semabok Ramadan Bazaar to purchase food for iftar (breaking of the fast) and found fly eggs in her soup after returning home.

Following that, she said that the state health department had sent a team to inspect the stall and found that some things should not be done and had provided guidance not only to the stall operator but all the other stalls.

“We have also taken a sample and sent it to the laboratory to test the risky microorganisms found in the food and from the laboratory results, we will see if the trader violated the rules or not and then, we will take legal action,” she said.

“As for the Semabok Ramadan Bazaar, we asked the laboratory to test for three microorganisms namely Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus Cereus and Coliform, with the results to be obtained in about two or three weeks,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ngwe said a total of 392 business premises in the Ramadan bazaars, six ice factories and 30 hotels in the state were inspected through the ’Op Ramadan’ from March 12 to 14.

He said that during the operation, a total of 150 warning notices were also issued to food operators and 12 compounds worth RM10,300 were imposed on 11 hotels and an ice factory.

-- BERNAMA