Wide Bay food complaints hit five-year high

A Chinese restaurant fined after 16 customers got food poisoning was among dozens of eateries inspected across the Wide Bay as complaints reached a five-year high. Find out which regions had the biggest problems.

Gympie, Bundaberg and Fraser Coast councils have inspected dozens of businesses across the region as food complaints hit a five-year high.

Figures from the Department of Health reveal councils across the Wide Bay received 175 complaints in the 2020-21 financial year.

This was six more than were made in 2019-20, despite there being 55 fewer food businesses registered across the region.

On average there were 9.7 complaints made for every 100 businesses across the region, up from 9.1 in the previous year.

This was in opposition to a statewide drop in the rate of complaints, from 3474 to 3346.

Food safety was thrown into the spotlight in August this year when the owners of Maryborough’s Fortune Chinese restaurant were fined a total of $30,000 after 16 customers came down with food poisoning in March 2021.

Bundaberg Regional Council received the most complaints about restaurants in its region, with 12 lodged per 100 businesses.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service became aware of the incident when one of the sick customers took to social media.

The restaurant was inspected twice following the incident, once shortly after and then again in April the same year.

No convictions were recorded following the owners’ appearance in Maryborough Magistrates Court.

Bundaberg recorded the highest complaint rate, with more than 12 lodged for every 100 businesses.

The report does not disclose how many investigations the Bundaberg council undertook as a result of the complaints.

The South Burnett was second worst with a rate of 10 per 100 businesses, while the Fraser Coast council received nine complaints for every 100 businesses.

Gympie Regional Council had a rate of seven complaints per 100 shops and the Wide Bay as a whole had the third highest complaint rate in Queensland, behind only the Far North (11.4 complaints per 100 businesses) and Brisbane and Moreton (10.9).

The Fraser Coast Council received 52 food complaints in the 2020-21 financial year, and carried out 29 inspections as a result. Picture: Fraser Coast Chronicle

Despite the increase in complaints, the number of improvement notices remained significantly lower than the Queensland average (2.5 per 100 businesses compared to 8.3 for the state).

One eatery in Bundaberg and one in the Fraser Coast each received infringement notices from the respective councils.

These can be handed out when offences pose a moderate threat to human health and safety, or where previous, current and ongoing noncompliance issues are present.

These include failing to comply with licence conditions or the Food Standards Code.

The report reveals one unidentified Fraser Coast eatery was inspected six times.

Two businesses across the Wide Bay had their licenses cancelled.

The report does not identify either of the businesses.