Crikey

The NSW Food Authority has just updated its engrossing (and fairly gross) “Name and Shame” list — an online archive of restaurants, cafes and other outlets serving food-like products that have been issued with penalties for breaches of cleanliness and food handling.

Crikey thought we’d go a bit Today Tonight (coming next week: dodgy ethnic builders, fat kids rorting the dole and an shock revelations from Schapelle Corby’s hairdresser’s mum’s pet guinea pig!) and taste a few of the highlights:

Vinh Phat Restaurant, Cabramatta —  Half-naked cooks:

Nature & circumstances of alleged offence: Fail to take all practicable measures to ensure all people on the food premises do not contaminate food - food handlers were preparing food unclothed from the waist up.

Amount of penalty: $300

Michel’s Patisserie, St Mary’s —  Mouldy cakes:

Nature & circumstances of alleged offence: Sale of food that is unsuitable - mouldy sponge cake.

Amount of penalty $1100.00

Daniels Butchery, Kingsford —  Sheep and pig in the “beef mince”:

Nature & circumstances of alleged offence: Fail to supply food that is of the nature or substance demanded by the purchaser - sale of beef mince containing soluble protein of ovine and porcine origin.

Amount of penalty: $660.00

Darban Persian Restaurant, Auburn —  Cook-up in the carpark:

Nature & circumstances of alleged offence: Fail to, when processing food, take all necessary steps to prevent the likelihood of food being contaminated - meat was being processed in the storage area in the car park

Amount of penalty: $330.00

And a special mention to Joseph Saliba from Badgery’s Creek, who was fined $330 for “operating an abattoir and selling slaughtered animals without a licence”.

Damn nanny state won’t let you have ANY fun these days!

And for those now too scared to ever risk dining in a NSW restaurant again, the Authority has created a free iPhone app called Food Watch NSW, mapping all the offenders:

UPDATE: The iPhone app uses data from the Authority, but was created by an independent developer [thanks to commenter Alan Jones]