Name and Shame list getting a 15 name “boost” each week
November 12, 2008

An Auburn business fined for allowing live vermin in a food storage area is one of a further 23 businesses to have made it onto the Food Authority’s pioneering name and shame website this week, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today. “From today, the website shows the details of 253 food businesses in NSW that have received fines for 401 violations of food safety laws,” Mr Macdonald reported. “In the four months since the site was launched, the Authority is publishing... ...Read more »

“Name and Shame” register clocks up a century
September 2, 2008

In only eight weeks the NSW ‘name and shame’ website for food law breaches has reached the 100 mark, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald reported on Sunday. There are now 101 food outlets in 31 NSW council areas listed on the Food Authority website with a total of 163 offences. “Twenty-eight new offences have just gone up on the name and shame website, including a café in the Blue Mountains that was fined $330 for permitting an animal in the food handling area,” Mr Macdonald... ...Read more »

Food safety crackdowns continue around the globe
August 11, 2008

The UK’s new transparent food safety grading system is making a splash, but there have been concerns that it may be too wide-reaching in its application. The Food Standards Agency is consulting on the SOTDs (Scores On The Doors) system to attempt to standardise the many different hygiene scoring systems that currently operate throughout the UK. The schemes originated following the Freedom of Information Act and aim to give customers more information about the hygiene of the premises that they... ...Read more »

Bakers getting the message on food safety
July 30, 2008

A NSW Food Authority safety survey of bakery products has revealed that 1 in 4 Vietnamese-style rolls tested scored either “unsatisfactory” or had “marginal” satisfactory levels for human consumption, but overall the industry was typically meeting strict food safety guidelines. The survey of 125 small non-supermarket bakeries was conducted over eight months by the NSW Food Authority and 40 local councils. “The good news is that out of almost 700 samples, the vast majority... ...Read more »

Consumers begin to embrace name and shame website
July 24, 2008

The NSW Government’s Name and Shame Website has been embraced by the public with more than 25,000 hits since the website was set up on July 1, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald reported yesterday. The Minister advised that almost 50 offences have already been published, with consumers showing strong support for the site. “From today there are 46 offences listed on the Food Authority website and in just over three weeks, the name and shame register has had more than 25,000... ...Read more »

Naming and shaming begins with “Dirty Dozen” in just 24 hrs
July 2, 2008

A dozen NSW food outlets are the first to be named and shamed on the State Government’s website for food law violations, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today.The new Food Authority website provides details of the 18 breaches and fines, valued at almost $7000, imposed on the 12 food businesses by the Authority and local councils. “The Iemma Government has delivered on its promise to give consumers better access to information about the performance of food outlets,”... ...Read more »

New food retail and liquor laws come into effect
July 1, 2008

Changes to the NSW Liquor Act, which reduce red-tape for those seeking liquor licenses, came into effect today, while the ‘name and shame’ legislation is now also able to be enforced. Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said the Food Amendment Act 2007 will formally recognise the food regulation responsibilities of 152 NSW councils and lead to many restaurants being named on the Food Authority website for unsafe or dodgy practices. “Within a year 100s of premises... ...Read more »

Name and Shame laws just weeks away
June 10, 2008

Pioneering new laws that empower local councils as food safety enforcers and allow the government to publish food law violations are to come into effect next month. Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the Food Amendment Act 2007 comes into effect on July 1, formally recognising the food regulation responsibilities of 152 NSW councils. “Within a year 100s of premises are expected to be named on the Food Authority Website,” he said. “This Name and Shame legislation is about... ...Read more »