It’s the list absolutely no self-respecting Brisbane restaurateur wants to be on — Brisbane City Council’s annual round-up of restaurants prosecuted for breaching the Food Act.
The Myer Centre’s Indian Odyssey received the dubious honour of topping the list, racking up a casual $34,000 in fines for 16 breaches prosecuted in 2014.
Little Lily in Kelvin Grove was next — the venue was fined $32,000 for 29 offences prosecuted in 2014.
They were hardly alone, though.
“In 2014 Council had carried out 6220 mandatory inspections and responded to 1047 food safety complaints with inspections,” Cr Krista Adams says.
“Council’s Eat Safe program uses an extensive checklist of 44 assessment measures to determine compliance with the Food Act 2006 and the Food Standards Code.
“Council’s 33 full-time Environmental Officers conduct mandatory inspections and are quick to respond to every complaint and take appropriate enforcement action.”
Cr Adams says Eat Safe makes it crystal clear to offending businesses exactly what area they have breached.
“Food safety is a very serious issue, which is why we issue improvement notices or fines to businesses with minor offences, and throw the book at businesses with major offences by suspending food business licences, prosecuting or cancelling food licences.
“In 2014, Council suspended 38 food licences and prosecuted 21 businesses, resulting in $435,800 in fines and 15 cancelled food licences.
“Additionally, Council issued 501 improvement notices to 0 or 2 star businesses and 371 infringements to businesses for Food Act 2006 offences.”
Brisbane restaurants prosecuted in 2014, according to Brisbane City Council
Mandarin Pacific Restaurant (Parkinson) — Food storage, Food processing, Cleanliness ($15,000 in fines)
Little Lily Restaurant (Kelvin Grove) — Skills and knowledge, Food storage, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests, Contravention of condition of licence, Failure to comply with an improvement notice ($32,500 in fines)
Ceylon Inn (Kenmore) — Food storage, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests, Failure to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($14,600 in fines)
Red Hut Asian Delight (Coopers Plains) — Cleanliness, Maintenance, Failing to comply with an improvement notice ($11,000 in fines)
Brumby’s Bakery & Michel’s Patisserie (Fortitude Valley) — Cleanliness, Animals and pests, Current licence not displayed, Failing to notify Council of food safety supervisor ($12,000 in fines)
Hanaichi (Upper Mt Gravatt) — Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests ($17,500 in fines)
Kadoya Sushi Bar (Brisbane City) — Food storage, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests, Ventilation, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($25,000 in fines)
Civic Centre Hot Bread Inala (Inala) — Skills and knowledge, Food receipt, Food storage, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests ($25,000 in fines)
Shingle Inn (Shop 3 and 4, 259 Queen Street, Brisbane City) — Cleanliness, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($28,000 in fines)
Red Crane (Carindale) — Sale of unsuitable food, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($14,500 in fines)
Juxin Dragon Inn Chinese Restaurant (Fortitude Valley) — Skills and knowledge, Food storage, Food processing, Hygiene of food handlers – duties of food businesses, Cleanliness, Cleaning and sanitising of specific equipment, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests, Sale of unsuitable food, Failing to display the food business licence in a prominent position and failing to nominate a Food Safety Supervisor ($26,500 in fines)
Sitar Indian Restaurant (Albion) — Food processing, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests ($20,000 in fines)
Brumby’s Bakery (Everton Park) — Skills and knowledge, Food storage, Hygiene of food handlers – duties of food businesses, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($20,000 in fines)
DM Restaurant Cafe & Jazz Bar (South Brisbane) — Food storage, Hygiene of food handlers – duties of food businesses, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests, Selling food that was unsuitable, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($25,500 in fines). [DM Restaurant shut down last August.]
Sushi Nikkou (Upper Mt Gravatt) — Handling food that was unsafe, Failing to comply with an Improvement Notice, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($30,000 in fines)
Indian Odyssey (Brisbane City) — Food storage, Food processing, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Single use items, Animals and pests, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($34,000 in fines)**
Fasta Pasta (Aspley) — Cleanliness, Cleaning and sanitising of specific equipment, Maintenance, Animals and pests ($14,000 in fines)
Angelo’s Fresh Pasta Products (Fortitude Valley) — Food storage, Food packaging, Hygiene of food handlers – duties of food business, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests ($7,500 in fines)
Suncrop Chinese Restaurant (Sunnybank) — Food storage, Cleanliness, Animals and pests, Failing to ensure that the corporation complied with the Act ($24,200 in fines)
Mecca Bah (Fortitude Valley) — Food storage, Cleanliness, Maintenance, Animals and pests ($24,000 in fines)*
*UPDATE: Mecca Bah in Fortitude Valley, named by the Council as a Brisbane restaurant prosecuted in 2014, has taken to social media to dispute the report. They claim the matter referred to by the Council took place in 2012-13, and was dealt with immediately. They have since changed front and back of house management and have undertaken a Principal Auditor, Garry Murray, to perform monthly independent site audits. Their last Brisbane City Council Food Inspection was compliant with the Food Act 2006. They do note, however, that the matter referred to by the Council was settled in court in 2014 — hence their inclusion on a list of restaurants prosecuted in 2014.
**UPDATE: The Myer Centre advises that issues in relation to the Indian Odyssey restaurant were identified and dealt with back in 2012. Indian Odyssey was recently given a 4 (out of 5) star rating by the Brisbane City Council Eat Safe Program.
UPDATE: The list provided by Brisbane City Council included a restaurant identified as ‘Fantasia (Brisbane)’. There are nine FantAsia restaurants in Brisbane, and only one of them was subject to court action by the BCC. Though the matter was prosecuted in court on 14 August 2014, the breaches in the restaurant occurred and were dealt with in 2012; the breaches were rectified immediately after the BCC’s inspection; and the breaches never posed any risk to public health and safety.
Many thanks for bringing this to the attention of bmag readers.
hmmm well ok. The problem is that behind these businesses are… people. People that might have their homes on the line and rely heavily on the success of these small businesses to survive. Businesses employ people and if BCC go linchpinning these businesses – i just dont know if we are taking into account everything. These guys are big ratepayers too – which funds these inspections.
I really dont like the way council lists these businesses so openly. Its just not their role.
Mecca bah for example undoubtedly employs a lot of people. Yes its bad to be caught with pests in the kitchen but maybe also highlight the fact that they probably support over 10 brisbanenites with full time work and another 10 uni student casuals.
Its a shitty situation but lets all be nice to eachother – perhaps bcc could assist in getting kitchens up to scratch rather than just throwing notices around.
In the end we are all in this world together. no need for nastiness.
Chris
We the paying public expect to be served food from a clean and healthy establishment and if these businesses are not able to do this because the place is filthy with vermin or whatever then they should be given one opportunity to clean the place up, and if this is not done then it should be closed until it is cleaned up.
Customers eat at places they believe are spotless but who really knows what state the kitchen is in or how hygienic the practices of the staff are.
Name and shame if places continue to shirk their responsibilities. I certainly wont ever eat at any of the places on the list.
Chris, if Mecca employ so many staff why aren’t a few of them allocated to cleaning.
Food safety Standards Australia have many supportive guidelines which must be followed, the amount of food poisoning is astronomical. As a diner I know I want to eat in a safe healthy environment, unfortunately they leave a lot of this up to the chefs to clean, as if there not busy enough with the hours they work, there are professional deep hygiene cleaning companies around,
Pays to employ a professional hygienic cleaning company quarterly , some of the grease and grime build up has been in kitchens for years, yes true, normally where the average person cannot see, underneath, the sides, cold rooms, fridges, seals. Leave it to the professionals, unless you want staff to get on the floor and clean with a toothbrush and a bottle of sanitiser. It pays in the long run, avoiding fines is a big plus, guaranteeing diners of a super clean kitchen is even a bigger bonus patrons may return, Diane Xsteam Clean
I’ve been working as a kitchenhand for a while now, the nature of my work usually involves the overall cleanliness, hygiene and applying correct procedures and processes regarding handling food and equipment. Through my experience I have found most employers do not place enough emphasis on care regarding food health and safety issues, I believe this comes down to a shortage of skills/knowledge and time constraints (money).