Pizza chain joins name and shame list after serving band-aid with meal
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,” Minister Macdonald advised. “The fines have been for a range of breaches including dirty premises, allowing pests into food preparation areas and inappropriate temperature control of foods.”
“New food safety laws enacted in July see local councils formally endorsed as food safety regulators and oblige them to report inspection and enforcement activity to the NSW Food Authority,” he added. “I’m glad to see councils embracing these new laws with enthusiasm with 41 council areas represented on the names and shame list.”
“While businesses on the name and shame register represent less than half of one percent of the 55,000 food outlets in NSW, the Government is determined to keep that figure to an absolute minimum. It’s a small handful of individuals and companies that cut corners when it comes to food safety for consumers.”
“These are the businesses that will be caught, fined and appear on the website for the world to see,” Minister Macdonald concluded.
Other businesses to appear on the shame website this week include:
* a noodle restaurant in Brookvale fined $660 for dirty premises (second offence)
* a charcoal chicken takeaway in Harbord fined $1,320 for four separate hygiene-related offences.
The Food Authority had already been posting details of prosecutions before the launch of the site at the beginning of July but now they also have the authorisation to publish the names of companies which have been issued with penalty notices. Details of prosecutions will remain on the site for two years and penalty notice reports will stay on the site for a period of one year.
Over 1.4 million people have visited the Food Authority website since the launch of the list. More details can be found at: www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/offences/
