MELAKA: Food traders in Melaka have been warned not to use the influx of tourists in the state as an excuse to increase food prices.
Melaka director of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, Norena Jaafar, said her office has been receiving complaints over unreasonable price increases at several restaurants in Ayer Keroh.
Following this, inspections were conducted and notices issued to the relevant restaurant operators, she added.
She said checks found that traders had increased the price of food by RM2 or RM3, with reasons given ranging from the higher cost of raw materials to needing to cover the losses they suffered for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Norena told Bernama that there is a slight increase in the price of raw materials, but it is still under control.
During spot checks conducted on food traders in Ayer Keroh on Thursday, she said two notices under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 were issued against the owners of two restaurants following public complaints over “unreasonable” food prices at the establishments.
“The notice must be answered by the traders or owners within seven days, failing which action can be taken. If found guilty, they can be compounded between RM100 and RM10,000,” she said.