A country bakery has been ordered to pay more than $60,000 for serious food safety violations, including rodent faeces on food and blood dripping from raw meat onto fresh bread, in what prosecutors described as one of the worst cases the regional city has ever seen.
Albany French Hot Bread Shop, about 420 kilometres south of Perth, was sentenced in Albany Magistrates Court on 21 charges of failing to comply with the Food Standards Code.
An inspection on January 16 found evidence of rodent faeces on food, rotten food, a significant amount of mould in the cool room, and raw meat dripping on fresh bread.
The bakery remains open following the court outcome. (ABC Great Southern: Will Corbett)
Inspectors also found personal items, including a container used to collect a faecal sample, in the food preparation area.
A follow-up inspection of the Albany Highway business on January 29 found little improvement.
Poor standard of cleanliness
The City of Albany brought a combined 24 charges against the business Albany French Hot Bread Pty Ltd and owners Tan Minh Le, 60, and Hoang Thanh Nguyen, 57, of which three charges were dropped.
Prosecutor Tim Beckett said the offending was on the higher end of the scale.
“Customers should not have been exposed to the health and safety risks of the premises,” he said.
“The overall standard of cleanliness is extremely poor.”
Owners Tan Minh Le, pictured, and Hoang Thanh Nguyen were each fined $7,000, and the business $43,750 plus court costs. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
The court was told the business was issued with several warnings for food safety breaches before the January inspection, and improvement notices were handed down.
‘Significant risk of illness’
Magistrate Rosemarie Myers handed down a fine of $7,000 to each owner plus court costs of $700, while the company was fined $43,750 and court costs of $1,800, totalling $60,950.
The bakery is located in a shopping centre in Albany. (ABC Great Southern: Will Corbett)
Ms Myers said she took into account the early guilty pleas, but the prosecution’s case was significant.
“It was a systemic breakdown in what the community would consider an appropriate standard of hygiene,” she said.
In particular, the magistrate pointed to the lack of a food safety adviser.
“The potential of contamination as a result of mould, cross-contamination of food, and the lack of hand washing meant there was a significant risk of illness,” she said.
“The persistent failure to appoint a food safety adviser increases the risk.”
Apology to the community
The court heard the two business owners were deeply remorseful, wanted to apologise to the Albany community, and accepted the seriousness of the breaches.
The charges follow on from an inspection carried out by the City of Albany in January. (ABC Great Southern: Will Corbett)
Mr Beckett said there had been improvement and a willingness to work with the city, but it had taken too long to happen, and issues with non-compliance remained.
The business remains open, and a voluntary inspection was carried out earlier this month.
Dining and Cooking