KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Penang’s city authorities have pushed back against suggestions of an imminent clampdown on foreign cooks at private food premises, saying any wider restrictions would only come after public consultation and internal deliberations.
According to The Star, the mayor of the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), Datuk A. Rajendran, said current enforcement is limited to hawkers operating at MBPP-managed premises and is carried out through existing licensing rules rather than new legislation.
“At this stage, we do not need to introduce a bylaw. The restriction can be imposed as part of licensing conditions during annual renewals, which allows action to be taken if there are violations,” he reportedly said during the council’s ordinary meeting in George Town today.
Rajendran said the council would only consider turning any proposed ban into a formal bylaw once it had completed a review that takes into account feedback from the public and discussions at committee level.
He said labour market realities would also be a key consideration.
“Finding workers is already very difficult, and sectors such as hotels and cafés still require certain expertise,” he said, adding that the views of business operators would be factored into any decision.
Under current rules, hawkers at MBPP premises are still allowed to hire foreign workers for tasks other than cooking.
However, Rajendran reiterated that food preparation itself remains off-limits.
“Foreigners are not allowed to cook any type of food at such stalls. Hawker businesses are small-scale and (the council expects them) to be operated by the owners,” he said.
He drew a distinction between hawker stalls and restaurants, noting that the latter may need larger teams and specialised skills, while maintaining that local workers are capable of producing a broad range of cuisines.
MBPP had identified 13 hawker dishes that must not be prepared by foreign cooks at hawker stalls, food courts or coffeeshops, including asam laksa, kuey teow th’ng, Hokkien mee, curry mee, wantan mee, loh bak, char kuey kak and oh chien.
The restriction does not apply to cafés, restaurants, hotels or franchise outlets serving the same dishes.
Penang has barred foreign cooks from working at MBPP premises since 2016, a policy the council says is aimed at preserving the authenticity of the state’s hawker cuisine.
