An employee of one of Australia’s largest bakeries told the television program Today Tonight last night the food safety is crappy at Tip Top’s bakery in Brisbane.

He wants his identity kept secret and claims bread is deliberately put on the ground when loaves bank up in the production process.

“Instead of grabbing it and walking over to the shelves, they grab it and just throw it on the floor”, he said.

His footage also reveals what appears to be a cockroach problem at the bakery.

“That number of cockroaches would be enough that if I was your inspector, I’d fail you for pest control,” said Gary Kennedy, a private food safety inspector who audits bakeries.

“Not only is the product on the ground contaminated, but the fact that what was on the ground goes back on the production line contaminates the line and all the other product,” Gary added.

“This is not acceptable behaviour,” said Rachelle Williams, a long-time food safety advisor.

“What’s on the floor, there’s dust, there’s dirt, there’s grot,” she added.

While the footage shows one loaf being put into a bin, the experts argue all the contaminated bread should have been thrown out.

“You don’t use food that’s been on the floor,” Rachelle said.

The footage also shows the contaminated bread making its way along the production line, before it’s sliced and packaged.

“Staff on the footage that we saw, they were quite confident in what they were doing,” Today Tonight’s insider said.

Today Tonight approached Tip Top’s parent company – George Weston Foods – who admitted the footage revealed “appalling behaviour” involving bread being “mishandled” at their Springwood Bakery.

The company said it was an isolated matter which “occurred during a planned commissioning phase involving the testing of a new conveying system.”

The company has launched its own investigation and called in police.

Repeated requests for proof or even a statutory declaration stating the equipment was indeed new and part of $6 million upgrade have been refused.

The company claims the footage was deliberately constructed by an aggrieved employee, assertions rejected by Today Tonight’s insider, who says it was no set-up, test, or isolated incident.

According to George Weston Foods, Queensland Health inspected the plant on August 20th and the site complied with Food Health and Safety Standards.

The footage taken since then, has Today Tonight’s experts concerned.