BY THE second half of this year, a number of Kuala Lumpur’s 5,600 food outlets will sport Quality Assured Restaurant Kuala Lumpur stickers that indicate the eatery has been certified as safe to eat at.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall yesterday launched the Kuala Lumpur Food and Beverage Quality Assurance (KLFAB) scheme, which will see it assess and award F&B outlets either platinum or gold certification for meeting food hygiene standards.
At the launching of KLFAB yesterday, Ahmad Phesal Talib, mayor of Kuala Lumpur, said: “This new initiative was meant to uplift standards of F&B establishments and enhance service excellence. Food outlets are audited based on set criteria, which are based on global industry standards.”
It covers areas such as hygiene, cleanliness, facilities and amenities, customer service, food variety and presentation, and safety and security.
The certification awarded depends on the results of the assessment – scores above 90 per cent entitle the operator to platinum certification, while scores of 70 to 89 will receive gold standard. Accreditation is valid for two years.
Ahmad Phesal added: “Those who have not yet met the minimum standards required will be provided with a report identifying areas of improvement in order for them to upgrade themselves to reach the minimum score for accreditation.”
This is part of the city’s attempt to allay food hygiene concerns among foreign tourists, and builds on earlier efforts to position Kuala Lumpur as a gastronomic heaven under the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Master Plan 2015-2025.
It is a roadmap with 47 initiatives and aims to double foreign tourist arrivals to 16 million by 2025, increase average lengths of stay from 3.1 nights to 5.5 nights, and raise average daily spend RM682 (US$190) to RM900 by 2025.
