By: Nurul Fazliana Norman
KOTA KINABALU: Sept 7, 2026 – The Sabah State Health Department organised the 2026 State-Level Clean Peak, Safe Food Expedition Programme at Mount Kinabalu from Sept 2 to 4 to raise awareness and improve food safety practices among food handlers, mountain guides, porters and climbers.
The three-day programme was led by the department’s Food Safety and Quality Division chief, Datin Ts. Doreen Girik Anthony Gorotud, and focused on cleanliness and food safety aspects at food premises located in high-altitude areas.
Throughout the expedition, various educational and interactive activities were carried out, including hands-on kitchen guidance for food handlers, briefing sessions and public announcements related to food safety practices.
The programme was also enlivened with a Food Safety Explorace competition, organised in conjunction with the World Food Safety Day (WFSD) 2026 campaign.
The competition was held around Mount Kinabalu as a creative approach to deliver public health messages on food safety at Malaysia’s highest location.
Inspections were also conducted on food premises to assess their eligibility for the Clean and Safe (BeSS) certification.
The evaluation found that the Sutera Sanctuary Lodge restaurant and Mountain Torq met all the required criteria and successfully received BeSS recognition.
The Sabah State Health Department hopes the recognition will serve as a catalyst for both premises to continue maintaining high standards of food cleanliness and safety for the wellbeing of climbers and visitors to Mount Kinabalu.
The programme was also conducted in collaboration with Sabah Parks and Sutera Sanctuary Lodges as strategic partners in efforts to strengthen public health and food safety aspects in the Mount Kinabalu area.
