The NSW Food Authority publishes lists of businesses that have breached or are alleged to have breached NSW food safety laws. Publishing the lists gives consumers more information to make decisions about where they eat or buy food. Individuals and businesses may receive either a penalty notice for their alleged offence or be prosecuted before a court. Each is listed as a separate register.
Businesses or individuals are included if they have been issued with a Penalty Notice for an alleged food safety offence and have not challenged the notice, for example by electing to have the matter dealt with by a court.
The information about each notice will generally be published for 1 year from the time it was first eligible to be published.
Decisions about which Penalty Notices are published are made according to the Food Authority's Penalty Notice Publication Protocol.
The information which can be published is set out in ss133A to 133F of the Food Act 2003 (NSW).
Businesses or individuals are listed if they have been found guilty by a court of a breach of food safety laws.
The information on each breach will generally be published for 2 years following any appeal period.
People listed in the register or with an interest in a business listed can apply to the Food Authority to add, correct or remove information if:
For further details see add, correct or remove information.
Enforcement officers use a graduated response for alleged breaches of food law that may increase in severity depending on the circumstances. Factors taken into consideration include, but are not limited to:
The Food Authority’s policy for deciding the appropriate enforcement action for a particular case is found in the NSW DPI Biosecurity and Food Safety Compliance Policy and Enforcement Policy.