Action by the New South Wales Food Authority has led to the cessation today of slaughtering at an abattoir on the outskirts of Sydney. The location of the abattoir remains undisclosed by the New South Wales Food Authority. The action by the Authority followed its examination of disturbing video footage of acts of gross animal mistreatment. The video had shown the slaughter of sheep, cattle, goats and pigs that allegedly breached the Food Regulation 2010 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority today advised that Coles Supermarkets Limited is recalling batches of their chicken and vegetable pies sold in NSW and interstate in Coles, Bi-Lo and Pick N Pay supermarkets. The batches are being recalled because of the possible presence of bone pieces. The recalled product is: Coles Chicken and Vegetable Pies, 4 pack in 700g plastic packaging, with ‘best before’ dates 18 MAR 13 and 19 MAR 13. The recall applies only to the above batches of the product and dates. Consumers... ...Read more »

A Sydney butcher who used illegal additives to make meat appear more appealing has been fined over A$9,000 by the Chief Industrial Magistrates Court, relating to four offences under the New South Wales Food Act. New South Wales Food Authority’s Acting CEO, Craig Sahlin, said the court’s decision to fine Abdul Hassan, trading as Green Valley Halal Meats a total of A$9,000 plus costs was a stern reminder to those who flout food safety laws. An officer from the NSW Authority visited Green Valley... ...Read more »

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have been taken to task over dodgy origin labelling, after an investigation by the NSW Food Authority revealed that two stores were selling mislabelled fruit The incident marks the first time Coles and Woolworths have been fined for Country of Origin labelling breaches, and both have been placed on the NSW Food Authority’s Name and Shame register. Woolworths at Newington in Sydney has been fined $1540 for advertising lemons for sale as being the “Product... ...Read more »

A NSW Food Authority survey of products from retail outlets across Sydney labelled as ‘gluten free’ has revealed a high level of compliance in gluten content labelling. NSW Food Authority CEO Alan Coutts said this was good news for people living with coeliac disease, a condition which is currently being brought to public attention through Coeliac Awareness Week (13-20 March 2011). “Of the samples tested there was 95% compliance with the labelling and content requirements of the Food Standards... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has continued its crackdown on dodgy diet foods, issuing fines to two Sydney-based companies for advertising food for sale claiming it had weight loss properties and providing advice that was of a medical nature in their advertising and information. Both companies were advertising what is commonly known as ‘Latin Seed’ or ‘Slim Seed’,  Aleurites moluccana, which they described as a South American seed they claimed was able to reduce body weight. These claims were investigated... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has swooped in on illegal backyard ready-to-eat meat manufacturers, issuing 27 penalty notices, five improvement notices, four prohibition orders and ten warning letters. “An investigation was conducted following concerns at a growing number of dodgy backyard butchers producing ready to eat meat products,” said Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan. Minister Whan said that ‘ready to eat meat’ refers to meat products that may be raw, uncooked, cooked,... ...Read more »

The NSW Government has announced its support for a national requirement for fast-food chains to publish detailed nutritional information on their products as part of their menus. Under the proposed plan, menus would include calorie/kj information, saturated fat, trans-fat and salt content of the items on offer. Currently, most fast-food outlets publish their nutritional information online (often in an inaccessible PDF format) or in dedicated leaflets. NSW Premier Kristina Keneally said: “This is... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has announced its support of last week’s Food Allergy Awareness Week, 16-22 May, in an effort to remind consumers and industry of the importance of understanding the role of food labels in protecting against allergic reaction. “The Food Act and Food Standards Code also requires all food businesses in NSW, including cafes and restaurants, to provide information about the ingredients contained in their food,” said NSW Food Authority CEO Alan Coutts. Food businesses... ...Read more »

The NSW Food Authority has fined a Newtown cafe for “failing to ensure that food for disposal (recalled Bonsoy soy milk) was kept separate from other products”. The company has been fined $660 for failing to comply with the standards required by the Food Standards Code. Bonsoy was recalled in December last year by its importer, Spiral Foods, after unusually high levels of iodine were found in the product. Since then, the ban on the recalled product has been repeatedly flouted by cafes,... ...Read more »