Malaysian eatery washes cooked food to offer for sale again next day, gets shut down for 2 weeks

Health authorities have ordered a restaurant in Seremban, Malaysia, to close for two weeks after a video circulated online allegedly showing a staff member rinsing cooked food to be reused the following day.

The clip, posted on social media on Tuesday (Feb 3), shows a worker washing the cooked food items, before placing them onto trays. 

The incident was reportedly witnessed at around 12.18am at the back of the restaurant by a passerby.

The man who filmed the video said he asked the worker why the food was being separated and placed onto trays, and was told the dishes were to be recooked and served again the next day.

He added that when confronted, the worker's colleagues initially gave him excuses, but later admitted to the practice, claiming it would not affect food safety.

The Facebook poster described the act as "unethical, unsafe and extremely disgusting", urging authorities to take action and the public to share the footage to prevent similar incidents.

Following the viral video, state health director Zuraida Mohamed told The Star newspaper on Tuesday  that her officers were investigating the video, which has been shared over 2,000 times.

On Wednesday, the Negeri Sembilan Health Department said in a statement that it has ordered the restaurant to close for two weeks.

The restaurant owner was also issued with a fine for compromising food safety and unhygienic practices under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, The Star reported. Another news outlet, the Rakyat Post, said the fine was RM750.

The closure, under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983, will remain in effect until Feb 17.