Moo Free Burgers food truck operator Johnny Tabet fined $19,000 for food safety breaches

The co-founder of popular Brisbane fruit juice bar has been fined thousands after cockroaches were found in his separate food truck business.

The co-founder of popular Brisbane fruit juice bar Charlie’s Raw Squeeze has been fined thousands after cockroaches were found in his separate food truck business.

Johnny Tabet, sole operator of food truck business Moo Free Burgers, pleaded guilty to 10 food safety breaches that occurred at last year’s Brisbane Laneway Festival.

Brisbane City Council prosecutor Mark Thomas said the food truck had a poor standard of cleanliness with visible matter and grease on its walls, floor, shelves, deep fryer, grill and electrical cords.

Moo-Free Burgers food truck operator Johnny Tabet leaves Brisbane Magistrates Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“The final aggravating feature is the presence of live and dead cockroaches that were detected in several locations,” he told the Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

“The presence of grease attracts cockroaches as a food source. And once there‘s a food source there that goes uncleaned that just encourages harborage in the premises.”

Mr Thomas said given the truck’s size it was “more than capable of being adequately cleaned in a short period of time.”

The court heard Tabet had previously received penalty infringement notices for breaching the Food Act as a director of Charlie’s Fruit in 2014 and Veganyumm in 2017 and as the operator or licensee of Moo Free Burgers in 2018.

Mr Thomas said even though these were not court prosecutions they were still relevant. Tabet had a prior conviction for a food safety breach at Veganyumm, he said.

Tabet’s lawyer Mohammed Patel said at the time of offending his client was enduring “difficulty and disruption” due to his rapidly expanding business ventures.

Tabet co-founded Charlie's Raw Squeeze in 2015 along with other health food businesses which were not subject to today’s proceedings. Picture: Ric Frearson

In 2015 Tabet along with his brother launched Charlie’s Raw Squeeze juice bar.

“He went from working in his father‘s fruit shop for 18 years to attempting to operate a business with his brother, which then within a six month period went to operating 12 stores,” he said.

“The defendant at one point had 900 employees that he was dealing with.

“The defendant attempted, with the 12 stores and the Moo Free truck, to arrange monthly audits to try and ensure that there was some compliance with food safety”.

Mr Patel said after the breaches in the truck, which was taken off the road due the impact of covid-19, the problems were rectified immediately.

He urged the court not to further penalise Tabet given his recent misfortunes.

“He then lost the family run fruit shop, they lost all of the stores … the defendant works in and operates three stores … the defendant’s brother manages another two juice stores,” he said.

None of Tabet’s other food businesses were subject to today’s proceedings.

Tabet’s income was expected to be $37,000.

“Considering the significant loss that’s already been suffered, there would be … little public interest in imposing a further penalty on the defendant,” Mr Patel said.

Tabet’s lawyer said he had downscaled the business after “misplaced ambition” saw him overextended. Picture : Chris Higgins

But Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan said she did not accept this and a penalty was needed to deter people.

“I can accept that there was a fair amount of debt stress, anxiety, attached to the position, that there was the intent to try and make the situation work,” she said.

However the law’s purpose was to ensure food vendors “do not put the health of members of the public at risk”

Tabet was fined $19,000 and a conviction was not recorded.