The first phase in the NSW Government’s plans to publicly “name and shame” food outlets that breach food safety laws has gone live with the publishing of successful prosecutions on the NSW Food Authority’s website.
The information on the Food Authority website will include the date of the offence, name and place of business of the offender, plus details of the conviction including the nature of the conviction and any fines or penalties imposed.
It follows pressure from the media and the community for the public to be able to access information about food outlets who had failed to meet the food safety rules.
Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said NSW consumers now have easier access to information about the Authority’s successful food convictions and “can make better choices with greater peace of mind”.
“The Government takes food safety very seriously and the public has a right to know about outlets that haven’t met stringent standards,” Macdonald said.
Macdonald said the Government was also working to include details of local council prosecutions on the same register.
He said the second phase of the initiative would be to include on the register details of businesses that receive penalty notices—commonly called “on-the-spot fines”—from the NSW Food Authority and local councils.
A forum will be held in Sydney the month convened by the Food Authority, in conjunction with the Local Government and Shires Associations, to allow interested parties to have their say on how the next phase should proceed, Macdonald said. Following the forum, a draft proposal will be finalised for consideration by the Government with a view to introduction of legislation in the spring session of Parliament.
“A broad cross-section of the food industry, local government and consumer representatives are being invited to attend the forum, to provide feedback on the draft proposal. In NSW, local council officers impose penalties on restaurants and are essentially the ‘cops on the beat’ when it comes to ensuring food safety in our restaurants.
“That’s why I’m pleased to have the support of the LGSA and the Food Regulation Partnership, which includes other key local government bodies.
“The Restaurant and Caterers Association has also pledged its in-principle support for this important initiative, welcoming a new system which will clearly identify outlets which have been doing the wrong thing.”
In the last six months, the Food Authority has successfully finalised 16 prosecutions comprising 62 charges, which saw a total of $139,000 in fines being imposed and $240,000 in costs being awarded. The name and shame list is at www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/prosecutions.asp