Food safety officer Mohd Wazir Khalid said flies, cockroaches and centipedes were discovered on the food and in storage containers, while rat droppings were found in the storeroom.

The factory, which has been in business for 50 years, has been given 14 days to improve cleanliness.

“Although it is not a halal product, we still have a responsibility to protect the non-Muslim community,” he said.

He told reporters that the product was found on the floor covered in flies and cockroaches which could cause food poisoning.

He said they also found a fishball product mixed with a pork-based product that was not labelled in Malay, which could cause consumer confusion because the product is sold at wet markets around Penang.

Mohd Wazir said the factory was raided twice last year and given a verbal warning for the same violations.

Three compound notices were issued because employees were not wearing an apron or shoes, and many had not been immunised against typhoid.

The Penang office of the domestic trade ministry also issued compound notices and confiscated around 45 one-kilogramme packs of subsidised cooking oil which were being stored without permission.