Victorian eateries with poor hygiene have been named, shamed, fined
DOZENS of restaurants, cafes and other eateries in Victoria have copped about $450,000 in fines for breaches of food safety rules.
Most of the culprits were Asian food venues, which were prosecuted for offences ranging from failure to protect food from contamination by pests to knowingly handling food in an unhealthy manner.
Offenders caught by council health inspectors are “named and shamed” on a state Health Department website for a year.
About 30 businesses are listed for convictions recorded over the past 18 months.
Former Southbank restaurant Olla Messa was fined $90,000 in April last year for poor storage of food and failing to keep out pests.
A court was told the City of Melbourne temporarily shut down the eatery after two patrons complained of an infestation of cockroaches.
An inspection of the restaurant found an unsealed grease trap and live and dead cockroaches “throughout the premises”.
Dandenong’s MKS Spices’n Things copped a $50,000 fine in August 2013 for unsafe food handling and failing to ensure equipment was clean.
High Street Bakers and Confectioners in Thornbury was fined $40,700 for a string of offences in 2013 including unsafe food handling, failing to ensure staff had proper food safety skills and failing to maintain a standard of cleanliness “where there was no accumulation of garbage, food waste, dirt, grease”.
The business has had a new owner since March last year.
Burwood East’s Golden Sands Reception Centre was fined $33,000 in July 2013 for offences such as failing to maintain a standard of cleanliness where there is no accumulation of garbage, recycled matter, food waste, dirt and grease.
The centre’s website says it is under new management.
Malaysian restaurant Sabah House in Bendigo was penalised $30,000 in December 2013 for several breaches involving unsafe food handling and storage, lack of cleanliness and failure to maintain easily accessible handwashing facilities.
Also convicted was Balaclava’s Glicks Cakes and Bagels, which was fined $12,000 in June last year for breaches including poor food storage and failing to maintain “fixtures, fittings and equipment in a good state of repair and working order”.
Source : Herald Sun John Masanauskas January 29, 2015
