Penang recorded 252 hygiene offences and 475 public complaints against food premises last year, with incomplete labelling and expired goods among the top violations.
GEORGE TOWN: GEORGE TOWN: Penang recorded 252 cleanliness offences under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009 throughout last year.
The Penang State Health Department also received 475 public complaints related to food premises in the same period.
State Health, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said the complaints comprised 348 involving restaurants and eateries.
A further 35 were against stalls or hawker booths, 31 involved supermarkets and 14 related to food courts.
Nine complaints involved school canteens, childcare kitchens, preschools or hostels.
Two were against catering services, while 36 involved other types of premises.
Gooi said the complaints were not limited to dirty premises alone.
They covered various aspects including food quality, expiry dates, packaging, and food preparation and serving methods.
He said issues of incomplete labelling were among the offences frequently committed.
This included the absence of required particulars, importer addresses and expiry dates.
There were also cases of expired food products still being sold.
Damaged food packaging that was no longer suitable for sale was another common issue.
All these offences were identified through continuous inspections and monitoring.
The department carried out these checks at various food premises throughout the state over the past year.
Gooi also informed that 12 inspection operations were conducted in January 2026.
This resulted in the issuance of 10 compound notices amounting to RM18,500.
The compounds were for various offences, particularly incomplete labelling, expired food products and physical damage to food packaging.
In addition to issuing compounds, the department carried out 145 seizures of food products.
The seized items were valued at nearly RM700 and were found to be non-compliant with food safety standards.
“In terms of food sampling, one violation case was recorded involving pesticide residue levels exceeding the permitted limit,” Gooi said.
A fine of RM15,000 was imposed on the party concerned after laboratory tests confirmed the offence under the Food Act 1983.
