PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Kuala Lumpur's Mid Valley Megamall has said it will work with all its tenants to improve hygiene standards, a day after a bakery at the mall was ordered shut following an incident where a rat was spotted lying on a tray of bread sold by the bakery.
The Komugi Bakery was on Tuesday (Oct 25) ordered by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to close for an indefinite period and conduct an immediate clean-up after a photo of the rat sitting on a tray of freshly baked bread made the rounds online.
Facebook user Melon Roux had uploaded the pictures on Facebook on Sunday (Oct 23) after she visited the Komugi outlet at the mall.
In light of the incident, the mall's management said that they will be doubling the frequency of inspections. They would also be increasing the frequency of training for all tenants' staff in respect to food-handling and hygiene.
The management added that they will also have more active consultation and dialogue with the authorities.
"With regard to the incident in Komugi on 23 October 2016, the Mid Valley Megamall Management would like to apologise to our customers for the distressing experience," said the mall's management in a statement on Wednesday.
Mid Valley Megamall management said that they are now working with Komugi and the authorities to "maintain the satisfactory hygiene standards of the store".
It added that the bakery will be shut down for a "thorough cleaning and review of operational procedures".
The new measures will be in addition to their existing procedures that include providing regular licensed pest control services, monthly hygiene inspections for all food outlets, and regular hygiene education for food operators.
"The well being of our shoppers and visitors remain our utmost priority," said Mid Valley Megamall management.
"We strive to maintain a safe and comfortable shopping environment for all," it said.
Komugi had earlier apologised for the "unfortunate incident", saying that the presence of rodents was "a known issue" at the mall.
It had said there are ongoing efforts to ensure that all its outlets and products are not affected by "pest issues" in malls.
The bakery chain has 11 outlets in the Klang Valley and one in Kuching.
