Sushi can suck: Aussie shop found with cockroaches, temperature, cleanliness problems

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Douglas Powell

A Woden sushi shop is facing hefty fines after health authorities uncovered a cockroach infestation, a dishwasher that was repeatedly recycling dirty water and an overheated display cabinet.

Food safety inspectors first raided the now-closed Sizzle Bento store in Woden Plaza in May 2011, finding a host of breaches that potentially put customers at risk.

Cockroaches were seen in the food preparation area and gaps in the walls, ceilings and floors were said to be allowing the insects to crawl into the room.

The sushi display cabinet was being kept at warm temperatures of about 10 degrees, instead of the recommended five degrees or less, court documents said.

The kitchen and food preparation area was dirty and grease was building up on the ceiling, sprinklers, the fridge, and on floors.

Rice and other food was not being stored properly and the shop was warned not to store items in shopping bags, ice cream containers or plastic bins.

A second inspection was conducted in September 9, 2011, and cleanliness and food storage problems were again detected.

The business had to be shut down temporarily due to drainage problems with the dishwasher, which prosecutors say were causing dirty water to be recycled through the machine, leaving dishes dirty and unsafe.

It was allowed to resume trading five days later.

‘Don’t feed the birds’ Canberra’s war on bird poo

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Douglas Powell

About 10 years ago I was in Canberra and got attacked by a bird.

This is common in Australia, especially in spring. You’ll often see cyclists with pointy things out of their helmets to deter attacks, which may be as effective as tar under the eyes to reflect sunlight (I’m looking at you, Tom Brady).

In 2011 I was attacked by a magpie and punched it in the face (beak).

A tongue-in-cheek video made by the ACT Government and posted to Facebook has already garnered thousands of views.

The video came with a serious message even though it was shot and edited like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

“It can be really tempting to feed birds but just remember what goes in must come out,” Territory and Municipal Services’ Mal Gale said in the video.

“Human food, like bread, is bad for birds’ digestive systems. They begin to see humans as a food source, which can increase their numbers in urban areas significantly and the chance of disease spreading climbs.

“If you’ve ever been to Trafalgar Square you’ll know what we’re talking about.

“Let’s keep the bush capital beautiful.”

But of course, being government, they only shared it on facebook and I can’t embed it. Put it on youtube.

Cockroach infested restaurant incurs hefty fines in Canberra

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Douglas Powell

The former owner of a northside Thai restaurant who let cockroaches infest his kitchen and appliances has been ordered to pay fines worth thousands of dollars.

Ben Thankum, the proprietor of Lao Thai Kitchen in Holt before it closed, allowed cockroaches to breed and die inside food tubs, on floors, walls and benches.

He was also charged with a failure to ensure clean surfaces, letting contaminated material spread in the kitchen and poor food storage procedures.

The restaurant was inspected by food safety officers in February 2014 who became concerned food sold at the shop would be unsafe for consumption.

Thankum appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday and was charged $2000 for each violation and ordered to pay court costs.

Court documents reveal the kitchen had fallen into disrepair with dead cockroaches left in dishwashing areas.

The documents also revealed food was stored in washing-up areas and sauces left on benches for eight hours at a time.

Ice buildup posed dangers in chest freezers with uncovered foods with exhaust fans clogged with grease.

Special magistrate Maria Doogan said the restaurant had since been sold and Thankum had begun working in a different occupation.

Hold Australian restaurants accountable: Food ratings in one state, shot down in another

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Douglas Powell

Sometimes I don’t understand this country called Australia.

Ten days ago, Canberra, the former sheep-farm now acting as the Washington, D.C. of Australia, decided to abandon any plans for restaurant inspection disclosure. I did a live radio interview with a Canberra station, in my goalie skates, during an (ice) hockey practice on Sunday that Australian Capital Territory chief health officer, Paul Kelly, decided he was too busy to do.

Must be nice to have a government job.

Yet the next day, the state of South Australia declared that its pubs, cafés and restaurants will be able to publicly display the food safety rating they receive during council inspections.

A successful trial period has laid the foundation for the new program called the Food Safety Rating Scheme. The rating will be based on the business’s scores for a variety of criteria gathered by council health inspectors.

“Since the scheme started, three, four and five star certificates have been awarded to more than 800 local restaurants, cafes and pubs based on how well they did in their regular council inspection, which is a great result,” said SA Health Director of Food and Controlled Drugs, Dr Fay Jenkins.

“Of the businesses inspected so far, 54 per cent received a certificate with a star rating, demonstrating appropriate food handling skills and a clean and safe food preparation environment.”

“If a business does not meet the national food safety standards they will not be awarded a star rating and appropriate actions will be taken to ensure the business rectifies any problems. In most cases issues are resolved very quickly,” said Dr Jenkins.

Since the South Australian pilot program began, five-star certificates have been awarded to 389 food businesses, four-star-certificates to 328 and three-star certificates to 168.

However, a business will not have any obligation to display their food safety rating because the new scheme is voluntary.

That’s just dumb.

And now, a pizzeria owner has threatened a disgruntled customer with legal action alleging they defamed his business in a negative online review.

Law graduate Julian Tully wrote on travel site TripAdvisor that dining at an Adelaide pizzeria was “the worst service and experience” and warned people to “stay away”.

Mr Tully and friends had attended a $40-a-head birthday banquet on October 10 and alleged they were treated “in a fashion I don’t think was possible”.

“For 7 people we got a tiny amount of food (waiting more than 50 minutes between portions) and when we tried to complain in a reasonable way we literally got told ‘we have had our fill’ and ‘we shouldn’t go out for dinner if we can’t afford it’,” he wrote in the October 11 review. “They then called the cops on us because we walked out. Avoid like the plague!”

Sounds like Australia.

Canberra-based ‘scores on doors’ scheme scrapped

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Douglas Powell

Canberra, the capital of Australia on a former sheep farm because Melboune and Sydney were playing poppy pants about who should host the capital, has decided that public disclosure of restaurant inspection information is too silly to pursue.

Toronto figured it out, so did LA and NYC, but not good enough for Canberra.

The territory’s Chief Health Officer, Paul Kelly, said there were a “range of reasons” behind the decision, but the government had decided there would be “better paths to follow to get the same outcome”.

“Just to be clear, the outcome is that we want the people of the ACT or people visiting the ACT to be confident when they go to a restaurant they’re eating safe food,” he said.

Dr Kelly said alternative measures, such as translating ACT Health materials into different languages, “seem to be bearing fruit.”

Bullshit. Kelly probably caved to restaurant interests, especially when he won’t explain what those alternative approaches are. Some of us publish in peer-reviewed journals, some pontificate and genuflect to their masters.

The Australian Hotels Association ACT welcomed the decision, saying that it was in part thanks to improving food safety in Canberra’s restaurants.

This is the sheep-town where 160 people got sick from Salmonella linked to a raw-egg dish in 2013, and the owner defiantly stated at the time, that a pasteurized egg in her mayo would be, “That’s the foulest thing you’ve ever seen, so I said no, I won’t.’‘ Her restaurant no longer exists.
Where the largest bakery was fined $10,000 because they sucked at food safety.
Where 140 people were sickened with Salmonella in 2013 at a Mother’s Day brunch (raw eggs).

Canberra, you want to be known for having four Prime Ministers in five years, or you want to be leaders. Food safety is low-hanging fruit, get on with it (and my Brisbane Stars kicked your butt at the Coffs Harbour ice hockey tournament.

Grow a pair.

Beware raw egg dishes: 160 sickened, Salmonella trial delayed in Canberra

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Douglas Powell

A criminal trial over Canberra’s largest salmonella outbreak has been delayed until next year.

The owners of the former Copa Brazilian restaurant had been scheduled to go before the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday over the incident that left about 160 people with food poisoning in May 2013.

Under ACT food safety law, those who either knowingly or negligently sell unsafe food can face criminal prosecution.

The criminal case follows civil lawsuits against the restaurant, with an estimated $1 million, including costs, paid out to those struck down by salmonella.

An ACT Health investigation found a supplier in Victoria to be responsible for the bad eggs that had been used by the Dickson restaurant to make raw egg mayonnaise.

The mayonnaise was then served to diners in a potato salad.

Many patrons of the then newly-opened all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue were struck down with salmonella poisoning, and the Canberra Hospital’s emergency department reportedly had one of its busiest days on record.

In the aftermath, the restaurant issued an apology to those affected and removed all products containing raw egg from its menu to ensure the poisoning was not repeated.

It closed voluntarily, before reopening under the close watch of ACT Health authorities.

But the restaurant eventually closed its doors and left Dickson in June last year.

Public health risk at Canberra’s eateries

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Douglas Powell

The nation’s capital could be more open.

Australian Capital Territory Health’s “name and shame” list reveals that nearly two dozen restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets in the ACT have been hit with fines totalling more than $230,000 for breaches of food safety standards since 2011.

The register only lists eateries found guilty of food offences, and because of investigative, administrative and appeal processes it can take between 18 and 24 months before the date of an offence and the conviction appear on the register.

Inspections of restaurants, cafes and food stalls have risen in the past three years, increasing from 1994 in 2012 to 2334 last year.

More than a dozen Canberra restaurants were forced to shut their doors last year because of an immediate public health risk or failing to fix food safety breaches, new figures reveal.

Cockroaches littering the floor, mouldy food stored in a cool room, a floor covered with thick, grey congealed food waste and power points caked in grime and grease: these are just some of the unpalatable images of appalling food standard breaches health inspectors have discovered in restaurant kitchens in Canberra.

ACT Health figures show 14 restaurants were closed last year after being slapped with prohibition orders because of an immediate public health risk or failure to comply with improvement notices.

There were also 395 improvement notices issued last year, 32 more than 2013 and 101 more than in 2012.

Improvement notices are issued for less serious breaches. They identify areas of non-compliance and give eatery owners a deadline to rectify the breaches.

ACT Health said details of the restaurants and breaches were “not able to be provided.”

The ACT government is yet to decide on the details of a possible “scores on doors” food hygiene rating system for restaurants, such as whether it will be compulsory and when it will be introduced.

We celebrated the year of the sheep – Chinese New Year – with some friends at their house last night after hockey. Yummy.

Popular Canberra bakery fined 10K for food safety breaches

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Douglas Powell

The clean up took only hours, but the risk to public health through potentially contaminated food has seen one of Canberra’s largest private bakeries fined $10,000.

That Bagel Place, also known as Bread Nerds, pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to seven charges of not complying with food standards and was convicted and sentenced on Friday, almost two-and-a-half years after the breaches.

The charges stem from an inspection in August 2012, but the case has been delayed while the ACT Supreme Court ruled on the legality of charging offenders with multiple counts for breaches of the Food Act.

Court documents said health authorities went to the Hume premises on August 29 after receiving a complaint from the public.

Inspectors issued the business with a prohibition notice the next day, forcing it to shut, as it was deemed to be selling food that was a risk to public health.

The owners had the bakery clean within hours and were able to reopen that afternoon.

Inspectors took a number of photographs during the initial inspection, which showed unclean surfaces that risked contamination and issues that made cleaning difficult.

Breaches included general uncleanliness and a buildup of residue on the dough mixer, bagel roller, bagel conveyor, oven, floors, benches and surfaces.

Food was also stored incorrectly, with food products on the floor, bags left open, uncovered dry ingredients, and unclean food storage containers and tubs.

In one example, hydraulic fluid was found above open bags of flour and seeds.

Owner Shane Peart, in an interview with the authorities, admitted that the bakery had been “unclean” and “that the bakery was not in a satisfactory condition”.

Defence lawyer Adrian McKenna told the court on Friday that the offences should be seen as low-to-mid range.

Mr McKenna said his client had accepted responsibility and, although there had been reasons for the breaches, he made no excuses.

Aldi hotdogs contaminated with Listeria in Australia

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Douglas Powell

I didn’t know they had hot dogs in Australia. There’s sausages, snags and snots, but not a lot of hot dogs.

Apparently I need to go to ALDI’s: or maybe not.

Canberrans are urged to check any hotdogs bought from Aldi that might be contaminated with Listeria.

ACT Health Protection Service director John Woollard said shoppers needed to check their freezers for any Strassburg and Skinless hotdogs.

Tibaldi Australasia Pty Ltd in association with Aldi supermarkets is recalling Aldi Berg Strassburg and Aldi Berg Skinless Hotdogs from stores in the ACT, as well as Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria after the products were found to be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

Mr Woollard said the items should not be eaten.

And how was this Listeria contamination detected?

Really? Canberra health inspectors get a big tick for their helpfulness

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Douglas Powell

I don’t like surveys.

I really don’t like taxpayer-funded surveys that give public servants a big thumbs up.

So I’m skeptical when The Canberra Times reports that Canberra’s food safety inspectors have received a tick of approval from local business operators, with 81 per cent reporting receiving effective and helpful advice from a special expert unit, even though there were two raw-egg based Salmonella outbreaks over the past couple of years in Canberra.

Were the operators advised by health types to not to use raw eggs in aioli or mayo?

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher will release the survey results on Monday. More than 2500 registered food businessess operate in the territory, the majority small businessess.

Last month the government introduced legislation which would remove charities, sporting clubs and community groups from some food safety regulations, no longer requiring them to appoint a food safety supervisor when fund-raising.

If approved by the ACT Legislative Assembly, some businesses selling only packaged and non-perishable foods, including cereals , breads and long life milk will no longer be required to register with ACT Health.

The changes come after a sustained community backlash in November 2013, when all charity groups holding more than five sausage sizzles a year were required to complete the costly training.

The legislation would also see the health minister given the authority to exempt food businesses from appointing safety supervisors on a case-by-case basis and business registration extended to up to three years, in place of annual registration.

But about those raw eggs? There’s government advice, and then there’s enforcement.

A table of raw egg related outbreaks in Australia is available at https://barfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/raw-egg-related-outbreaks-australia-3-3-14.xlsx.

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safe food from farm to fork

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