Owner of Malaysian eatery in viral video refutes allegations of reusing food, says leftovers given to stray animals

The owner of a Malaysian restaurant has denied allegations that his eatery recycles leftover food, after a video showing a worker washing food and separating it into trays went viral last week. 

Restaurant owner Fadzil A. Bakar said the food shown being cleaned and washed was actually meant to separate oil and spices before being given to stray animals, reported news outlet New Straits Times (NST) on Saturday (Feb 7). 

He added that it would be impossible for the restaurant to resell leftover food, as it would deteriorate quickly and emit a foul odour that customers would easily detect. 

Clarifying the incident in a video posted on TikTok on Friday, Fadzil, accompanied by animal lover Manikandan Krisnansamy, explained that animal lovers frequently visit the restaurant to collect leftover food to feed wild animals. 

"I took this disposed food for wild animals such as cats, birds and rats. I asked the restaurant to wash the meat so it doesn't get greasy because the animals can get sick," said Manikandan. 

Meanwhile, Fadzil stressed that he has been in the business for a long time and that this was the first time such an incident had occurred, emphasising that cleanliness in food preparation is a top priority, reported media outlet Sinar Harian. 

"I have 14 restaurants and this is the first time I've faced such an issue," he said.

"We do take cleanliness seriously, and if a premises is given a compound because a worker is not wearing an apron or slippers, we will deduct the worker's salary for not following the rules." 

Fadzil also noted that the employee seen in the video was still new to the job and may have misunderstood the situation, mistakenly saying the food was washed for reuse, reported Sinar Harian. 

He said the viral video had affected the restaurant's reputation. 

"As a matter of fact, people have the right to complain. But that's not the way to do it. You should ask the management first, not continue to spread the virus until it destroys the business," he said, according to NST. 

Fadzil added that the restaurant had complied with the advice of the Malaysian Ministry of Health and supported its investigation, having even conducted a trial run. 

He also said that his team had filed a police report against the person who spread the video. 

The restaurant was on Feb 4 ordered to close for two weeks under Section 11 of the Food Act, along with the issuance of a compound notice under the Food Hygiene Regulations. 

[[nid:729313]]

xingying.koh@asiaone.com