A cockroach was allegedly spotted on an ice cream machine at the IKEA Cheras in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In a Threads post last Friday (3 July), a netizen shared that he was heading to the store’s bistro for some ice cream.
Instead, what he found was a cockroach crawling on the machine.
Source: @044mii on Threads
According to Malaysia publication SAYS, IKEA Malaysia is aware of the viral video and has carried out inspections on the affected areas at IKEA Cheras Bistro.
The company released a statement stating that food safety, hygiene and quality remain “extremely important” to its operations.
As part of our ongoing food safety and hygiene practices, pest control treatment and inspections are conducted weekly across our food operations.
On 17 June, the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department ordered the Swedish Restaurant at IKEA Cheras to close for 14 days, The Rakyat Post (TRP) reported.
This was following an inspection where they found that the restaurant did not meet the standard of cleanliness considered safe for public consumption.
However, the restaurant reopened only five days later, on 22 June.
Malcolm Pruys, Country Retail Director of IKEA Malaysia, revealed the violations that had contributed to the closure.
They were missing a no-smoking sign in the kitchen, and one employee, a new hire, had not yet completed their food safety certification.
Food in a freezer was also found uncovered, and evidence of cockroaches was found in a drain beneath the kitchen floor.
Source: TRP
According to Mr Pruys, the restaurant shut its doors at 1pm, immediately after receiving the notice, despite authorities ordering the closure to start at 10pm.
They then intensified pest control efforts, and the untrained staff member was certified by that Friday.
They also replaced all kitchen plumbing, despite not being required to do so by the MOH.
After five days, IKEA requested that authorities reinspect the restaurant premises, and it was cleared to reopen on 22 June.
“Nobody did anyone any favours. We fixed what needed fixing, and the authorities were satisfied,” Mr Pruys clarified.
Also read: Man in M’sia allegedly finds cockroach legs in coffee from Subway, suffers headache
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Featured image adapted from @044mii on Threads.