Victorian Health Department officials have defended themselves against criticism of the administration of food safety enforcement in the State of Victoria. Australian Food News has published several reports in the past month about failings in food safety enforcement in Victoria. Today, several Australian newspapers have provided further evidence of the Department failing to alert the public to a number of serious food poisoning outbreaks that took place during 2011. One such incident involved a sushi... ...Read more »

Concerns continue to arise about the administration of food safety enforcement in the State of Victoria. Australian Food News recently reported (21 December 2011) the calls made for an official investigation into poor food safety administration by the Victorian government.  In the article, Managing Principal of food-specialist law firm FoodLegal, Joe Lederman, stated that there was a “serious lack of co-ordination” in Victoria that had resulted in “every council seemingly doing its own thing”... ...Read more »

The Managing Principal of food-specialist law firm FoodLegal, Joe Lederman, has called for an official investigation into the current system of food safety administration in the State of Victoria. Mr Lederman says that his firm has been “inundated” by phone calls from municipal Environmental Health officers around Victoria, following statements attributed to him in an earlier article published by Australian Food News. Mr Lederman was also quoted previously by the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne... ...Read more »

Green Monkey Ltd has recalled throughout Australia all five varieties of its Green Monkey Organic Baby Food from Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux Supermarkets due to the presence of small plastic pieces. Green Monkey Ltd, which is a New Zealand-based company, said the contamination is the result of a packaging fault. It has recalled the all flavours of its organic baby food, which is sold in a tear-top 100g pouch. The products in question all have Best Before dates up to and including 22/05/2013. A... ...Read more »

Food lawyer Joe Lederman has raised serious concerns about weaknesses in the administration and monitoring of food safety enforcement in the State of Victoria. Mr Lederman, of food law firm FoodLegal, was quoted by the Herald Sun newspaper in an investigative article on Saturday 17 December 2011. The article revealed that laws that are meant to “name and shame” Victorian food businesses that have been convicted of food safety offences, have not been enforced. In the article, Mr Lederman... ...Read more »

Kiss Kiss Food Products Pty Ltd has recalled all varieties of Kiss Kiss Pastizzi baked goods from independent supermarkets in Western Australia due to undeclared soy. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the recalled products contain undeclared soy (an allergen) due to the manufacturer changing the product specifications. The Kiss Kiss Pastizzi products with the following flavours have been recalled: Bonza Bacon and Ricotta, Cheeky Curry Chicken, Funky Fetta, Perfect Pizza,... ...Read more »

A Canberra food business has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella, which has so far resulted in five people being hospitalised. The ACT Government’s Health Directorate is currently investigating the outbreak. So far 13 people have been diagnosed with Salmonella, all of whom reported purchasing ready-to-eat food from the implicated business on 25 of 26 November 2011. ACT Chief Health Officer, Dr Paul Kelly said today, “Salmonella has been identified in mayonnaise containing raw egg, with further... ...Read more »

A new primary production and processing standard for seed sprouts has been approved by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board. FSANZ said the objective of the standard is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness associated with seed sprouts by introducing food regulatory measures for sprouts processors. Measures in the standard include requirements for producers to identify potential hazards and implement control measures to address those hazards. Sprout producers must also have evidence... ...Read more »

New food safety legislation which requires restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs to have a Food Safety Supervisor has been rolled out across the State of New South Wales. Food Safety Supervisors are required to be trained to prevent hazards associated with handling and preparing food. Any retail food business in New South Wales that does not appoint a Food Safety Supervisor will be subject to fines. Commenting on the new law, Federal Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said, “Incorrect... ...Read more »

For the first time in its 100 year history, the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) is bringing its international forum to Australia. The Securing Global Food Safety conferencence is to be held on 26 – 28 September 2011 in Melbourne. The event also incorporates the 14th Australian Food Microbiology Conference, and is presented by the IAFP, the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology Inc (AIFST) and the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food... ...Read more »