A 33-year-old food vendor has been fined RM3,500 after admitting to selling contaminated ayam masak lemak at a Ramadan bazaar in Penampang earlier this year.
Salbiah Laturu pleaded guilty before Magistrate Wan Farrah Farriza Wan Ghazali at the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to selling ready-to-eat ayam masak lemak contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus at the Nasi Bujang Berlauk Abe Wie stall in the Kepayan Point Ramadan Bazaar.
The offence was committed at about 4.50pm on 23 February and falls under Regulation 39(2) of the Food Regulations 1985, which is punishable under Regulation 397(2) of the same regulations. The offence carries a maximum penalty of RM10,000, up to two years’ imprisonment, or both upon conviction.
The court imposed a RM3,500 fine, with two months’ imprisonment in default of payment. Salbiah later settled the fine.
Health prosecuting officer Rals Benjamin Yakod told the court that officers from the Penampang Health Office collected food samples during Ops Ramadan 2026. Laboratory analysis later confirmed that the ayam masak lemak sample contained Staphylococcus aureus, while another food sample collected during the inspection complied with food safety standards.
In urging the court to impose an appropriate sentence, the prosecution stressed that selling contaminated food poses a serious risk to public health and called for a punishment that would serve as a deterrent to other food operators.
