A recent case of food poisoning involving 99 patients in Terengganu from the consumption of ‘puding buih’ has been found to be due to the use of expired eggs.
The 99 cases involved some 20 families, with 77 patients from Kuala Terengganu and another 22 from the Marang district. They had suffered food poisoning after consuming the pudding on May 22.
State Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee chairman Dr Alias Razak said the trader involved had used eggs over two weeks past the expiry date when making the pudding.
“The Terengganu State Department of Health has taken action by shutting down the kitchen used by the puding buih trader for 14 days until June 7, in accordance with Section 18 (1) (d) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988,” he told reporters today.
Meanwhile, Dr Alias said the state government would conduct a detailed study on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for small-scale food traders operating from the home to prevent such occurrences in the future.
“Most of them do not have a business licence, they only cook at home and market it online, where we do not know how the food is handled and the level of hygiene practised by them.
“So we have asked the Department of Health to provide an SOP for home-based food traders so as to help them generate some income, and at the same time ensure the safety of food that is sold,” he said.
Source : Malay Mail