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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »