Name and shame website gets an upgrade as cigarette found in bread loaf
The name and shame website of food law offences today received an upgrade that includes multiple search functions to allow consumers easier access to food law violations, NSW Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said.It comes as a bakery in the Blue Mountains sold a loaf of bread which contained a cigarette butt.
“This website is extremely popular, it’s an Australian first, it’s less than 12 months old and we have already made improvements to make it more user-friendly for consumers,” Mr Macdonald advised. “We have had cockroaches, rats, a band-aid and now a cigarette butt found in food premises in NSW – so the public has a right to know this essential information which this website provides.”
“For example, it now allows people to search by trading name, suburb, postcode, date and even type of violation. So if you want to find out offences by food outlets in your specific area, simply enter your council name or postcode.”
“You can also search using a keyword or sort by name,” he added.
The name and shame website is updated weekly. Recent additions include:
* A bakery on the Great Western Highway, Blaxland was fined after a cigarette butt was found in a loaf of bread, this shop was also fined in 2008 for not having hand washing facilities;
* A noodle restaurant in Manning Street, Taree was fined after live and dead cockroaches were found;
* A sandwich bar in Century Circuit, Baulkham Hills was issued with four penalty notices totalling $1320 for offences ranging from failing to keep the premises clean to not protecting food in a cool room from contamination; and
* A Chinese restaurant in Beardy Street, Armidale received three fines totalling $1980 for improperly storing food and failing to maintain kitchen equipment in a clean condition;
Mr Macdonald reported that the website has had more than 1.5 million hits since its launch in July.
“There are now over 470 premises on the Food Authority’s name and shame list and over 800 penalty notices have been issued,” he noted. “NSW is continuing to take the national lead by making it easier for people to access this important information.”
The new name and shame list is available at: www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/penalty-notices/
