Melaka Health Department shuts two hotel kitchens for rat droppings and cockroaches

MELAKA: Two hotel kitchens in Ayer Keroh have been ordered to close for 14 days by the state Health Department after it found rodent droppings and cockroaches on the premises during an operation last week.

State Health Director Dr Ruzita Mustaffa said the inspections conducted on Nov 11 and 12 revealed that the hotel kitchens were not only dirty but also had animal droppings.

She said a food safety monitoring also found that six hotels were identified as having mosquito breeding grounds.

The department also issued thirty-three compound fines amounting to RM11,475 to other hotels under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, added Dr Ruzita.

“During the operation, 41 hotels were inspected by the Food Safety and Quality Division and the Inspectorate and Legal Unit of the Melaka Health Department.

“We ordered two hotel kitchens to close under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983 after cockroaches and rodent droppings were found there,” she said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 21).

The operation, she added, was conducted in conjunction with Melaka’s selection as the host for the World Tourism Day (WTD) 2025 celebration, which will take place on Sept 27 next year alongside the World Tourism Conference (WTC) 2025.