Food retailers and a street food vendor have been caught mishandling and storing food at incorrect temperatures and ended up on the NSW Government’s name and shame website, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today.A bakery and a Thai restaurant in Western Sydney and a temporary food stall in Cabramatta have received fines for risking contamination of food due to improper storage and display. “As the warm spring weather continues across NSW, this is a timely reminder for all... ...Read more »

Around two in every five NSW food retailers routinely inspected by councils in the last six months of last year failed to comply with all critical food handling practices, according to the most comprehensive food safety data ever published in the state. The report, tabled by the NSW Food Authority, established that the 150 councils in the state combined to initiate 23,352 inspections in the six months to December, 2008. The report comes after new laws were introduced from July 1, 2008 requiring councils... ...Read more »

A record 43 fines in eateries from Armidale to Warringah appear on the Government’s name and shame weekly update, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald advised yesterday. Twenty-nine new names join the list, with nine food outlets receiving two or more fines. “For the second week in a row an eatery appears on the list which was caught allowing cigarette smoking in the food preparation area,” Minister Macdonald noted. “Food outlets need to be aware that it’s an offence... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has reported that 10 per cent of food businesses investigated in the state have failed recent food safety inspections. Of the 23,000 food outlets inspected by local councils in the last six months of 2008, around ten per cent were found to breach or were alleged to have breached NSW food safety laws. The nature of alleged offences ranged from failing to maintain food premises to the required standard of cleanliness, to operating a food business without a license, and evidence... ...Read more »

Every food outlet in the state of New South Wales can expect a random health inspection in the year ahead as the number of additions to the name and shame website causes concern for health authorities. Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said 40,000 food service premises would be the subject of about 50,000 inspections a year. “In practice, every food premises should be inspected at least once each year,” Mr Macdonald said. “All food businesses in NSW are inspected according... ...Read more »

A dead rat in the storage area of a Sydney restaurant joins a fish market which stored crabs in a toilet cubicle on the name and shame list in NSW. The name and shame database, run by the NSW Food Authority, was introduced last year in a bid to improve food safety standards at food retail outlets by publicly ‘outing’ those who did the wrong thing. Since its introduction there have been 1000 fines dished out to almost 600 businesses. Choy Restaurant in Sydney’s east was handed three... ...Read more »

A Ballina bakery that sold a cockroach in a loaf of bread is the one of 23 premises to appear on the NSW Government’s name and shame list this week, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today. “This latest example of a cockroach found in a loaf of bread is just another reason why the Government is providing consumers with as much information as possible, so they can make informed decisions about where to eat,” he explained. “There is no excuse for cockroaches to... ...Read more »

Two Sydney restaurants have been fined over $120,000 for a range of food safety violations after successful prosecutions by local councils, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald advised yesterday. Chiu Chow Palace in St Marys received a $70,500 fine for five breaches of food laws, while Sam’s Singapore Laksa House in Crows Nest was dealt a $51,500 fine for five offences (fines include legal costs). Penrith and North Sydney councils brought the actions against the two eateries. “These... ...Read more »

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... ...Read more »

A NSW takeaway fined $1,100 for accidentally serving a band-aid in a pizza is one of the latest food outlets to be named on the Government’s Name and Shame list for food safety infringements, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald has reported.The Dominos Pizza outlet on Carter Rd in Menai joins 316 other businesses on the website, which came into operation five months ago. “There have been a total of 502 fines for those 317 businesses listed since the website started in July,”... ...Read more »