Food safety breaches: Three Brisbane venues fined over discovery of live cockroaches

Three Brisbane eateries have been fined a total of $50,500 in separate cases after live cockroaches and, in one instance, rodent faeces were discovered on their premises.

THREE Brisbane eateries have been fined thousands of dollars in separate cases after the presence of cockroaches was identified and in one instance rodent faeces.

A Brisbane City Council inspector attended West End Kebab and Pizza House in February 2021 after a customer reported seeing rats at the premises, the Brisbane Magistrates Court heard.

Council solicitor Jac Thong said the officer found noncompliance with 10 clauses of the Food Standards Code including food stored out of temperature and live cockroaches and rodent faeces in food storage areas and the kitchen.

“ It is … a very serious example of cockroach infestation within a food business in which there was high risk of food contamination,” he said.

The business owner at the time, Yunus Emre Kahraman (who has since sold the business and is not involved with it) today pleaded guilty to 10 breaches of the Food Act.

Court

Defence lawyer Rod Mugford said his client, who immigrated to Australia from Turkey in 2016, did not fully understand his obligations under the Food Act but had been using a pest extermination company.

Magistrate Peter Saggers said Kahraman was out of his depth operating the eatery.

“You obviously got involved in a business that you were just unable to run,” he said.

Kahraman was fined $20,000 and had no conviction recorded.

In an unrelated case CCYT Pty Ltd, trading as Soul Origin Queens Plaza, and its joint director Songfei Yuan each pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Food Act.

The court heard council inspected the eatery in May last after receiving a complaint about a cockroach in the salad display cabinet.

Live cockroaches were found in multiple places at Kahraman

The inspector found cockroaches on the premises but not on food preparation areas, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Tom Goodwin said his clients were “extremely remorseful” and had undertaken significant steps to ensure it didn’t happen again including changing pest exterminators.

A food safety audit on May 5 saw the eatery earn four stars out of five.

Mr Goodwin said pest control appeared to be a “long standing issue” for the plaza’s food court.

CCYT was fined $16,500 while Yaun was personally fined $1500 and no convictions were recorded.

In a third unrelated case Istanbul Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as Downtown Istanbul Turkish Eatery in Hawthorne, and company director Ulku Isik pleaded guilty to four breaches each of the Food Act.

Ulku Isik is the sole director of Istanbul Holdings which was fined $14,000 for breaches of food safety, Brisbane Magistrates Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

Songfei Yuan is a joint director of CCYT Pty Ltd which was fined $16,500 for food safety breaches, Brisbane Magistrates Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

The court heard the restaurant was inspected on March 8 last year which led to an improvement notice for three minor breaches including a single live cockroach entering a gap.

An exterminator attended on March 19 and told the restaurant “all good, no activity, keep up the good work, no recommendations”.

But a follow up council inspection on March 23 found “the cockroach infestation had increased”, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Tom Duhig said the pest company was replaced by a new exterminator and the problem eradicated.

Last month the restaurant underwent a $100,000 refurbishment to reduce the potential for pest harbourage.

Mr Duhig said the company ran five restaurants and none had ever had convictions under the Food Act.

Magistrate Saggers said the presence of cockroaches must have come as a shock after an exterminator gave the all clear.

He found the defendants had shown contrition and remorse through the actions taken since the incident.

The company was fined $14,000 and Isik was personally fined $750 with no convictions recorded.