Rentokil Initial Malaysia Collaborates with MOH on Food Safety Training

Rentokil Initial Malaysia continues to raise pest and hygiene awareness on food safety among industry practitioners at MOH training.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier in October this year, two persons died from food poisoning after eating laksa from a small stall in Kedah. This latest case brings the total to 83 food poisoning cases across Perak, Kedah and Selangor in 2018 alone. While Malaysians are known to be food lovers, they seem to be less concerned about food safety and hygiene. According to the Ministry of Healthy, food poisoning incidence rate has grown to 55.21 per 100,000 people in 2017.

However with the rise of social media, consumers are being exposed to a range of food contamination news and begin to question food integrity. This puts pressure on both private companies and public institutions to ensure food safety standards to produce safer foods.

Against this current backdrop, Rentokil Initial Malaysia has recently partnered with the Ministry of Health (MOH) Putrajaya in advocating the importance of pest control and sanitation to support food safety audits at the Food Safety Inspection Training, which took place at Hotel Bangi-Putrajaya on 16 Oct. This annual event was attended by 30 participants who are QA, food handlers and food safety practitioners within the food industries as well as university academia.

While MOH emphasises on the letter and spirit of the law of food safety legislation and enforcement, Rentokil Initial Malaysia focuses on the basics and innovations of pest control to manage infestations, as well as raising the hygiene standards through sanitation and good hygiene habits.

Integrated pest management (IPM) sets an industry benchmark by grounding the programme with science and technology. Through a thorough understanding of pest biology and continuous innovation, Rentokil Initial Malaysia's IPM takes a 4-step approach to manage pest infestations. With the maturity of Internet of Things, Rentokil Initial Malaysia now enables their customers to harness Big Data to provide better data visibility and traceability through myRentokil, an online reporting tool and customer portal pioneered by Rentokil Initial Malaysia.

Besides IPM, sanitation and good hygiene practices especially hand hygiene are key topics. As 80% of germs and bacterial infections are spread by hand, it is imperative for companies to raise hygiene awareness on the consequences of poor hygiene habits. One of which is closing the toilet lid while flushing. Flushing with an open lid creates a phenomenon called "toilet sneeze effect" which was first coined in 1975 by environmental microbiologist, Dr. Charles Gerba. This menacing sneeze produces a germ cloud that will stay airborne and contaminate the entire bathroom with faecal particles, viruses and bacteria. Without proper hand hygiene habits of Wash, Dry and Sanitise, employees may spread germs to one another through cross-contamination. Hence resulting in loss of productivity through absenteeism and presenteeism.

Pest challenges can be unique to every business. Throughout this food safety training, MOH has reiterated that it is important to engage the expert for pest control management and hygiene solutions. This will minimise the risk of food contamination and the potential loss of revenue and reputation. Rentokil Initial Malaysia, a global company with 50 years of experience, believes in protecting people and enhancing lives at the heart of every solution.

About Rentokil Initial Malaysia

At Rentokil Initial Malaysia, there are 2 brands that are focused on providing the best services with nationwide coverage, fast response and expert technical knowledge: Rentokil Pest Control and Initial Hygiene.

Visit https://www.rentokil-initial.com.my to find out how services by Rentokil Initial Malaysia can add value to different business sectors.