Chinese restaurants in Sydney northwest ask for food-safety help
A councillor who’s also a doctor fears half-baked food safety and hygiene practices at some Chinese restaurants in Sydney’s northwest are putting lives in danger.
A food fight has broken out in Sydney’s northwest over fears that some Chinese-run restaurants are putting lives at risk through half-baked hygiene measures.
Ryde councillors this week voted to roll out two pilot food-safety education seminars later this year, following calls from several local Chinese operators to help clarify cultural differences in preparation and storage rules.
However, it’s sparked a dire concern from one dissenting councillor, who is also a local GP, about a possible food-poisoning outbreak from unsafe food and hygiene practices.
Dr Peter Kim, who has Korean ancestry, is not opposed to the notion of migrant restaurant owners being educated on safe food-handling processes. However, he says this should be addressed before they are licensed to operate.
“The concern I have, as a doctor councillor, is that when the food is not handled properly people can get food poisoning and ultimately someone can die,” Dr Kim said.
“If the business owners are already operating the food-handling businesses and they are asking the council to provide food-hygiene information sessions, that tells me that the business owner does not have the necessary skills and knowledge to keep food safe.
“That is a serious breach of the Food Standards Code and the consequences of such a breach may be fatal.”
No Chinese outlets in Eastwood have appeared on the NSW Food Authority’s shame list over the past year for breaches of food-safety standards.
However, Dr Kim said the matter was worthy of an investigation by the food authority.
Cr Simon Zhou, who migrated from China at the age of 20, said he was urged by many of the 50 Chinese food-related businesses in one suburb to run the education sessions.
“The Chinese-speaking owners and operators want a better understanding of the food laws here,” he said.
“There are some cultural differences in how food is prepared here and this is about better protecting themselves against any potential problems.”
While conceding food laws were more relaxed in China, he gave an example of a cultural difference in how crispy duck is prepared.
In China, ducks are allowed to be hung up in the open air as they sit near a heat lamp.
But in NSW there are strict controls around the storage, prepartion and refrigeration of duck.
However Chinese food operators have complained that by refrigerating duck, it loses its crispiness.
An operator of a Chinese food stall at the popular Taiwan night markets in Eastwood yesterday tried to hose down any food-contamination fears.
“We are just seeking more information. I can speak on behalf of the night-market operators and we are all qualified,” Arthur Chu, 43, who came out from China three decades ago, said.
“But there is a language barrier. We are all taxpayers and believe there is a community benefit in making sure all of us are better educated on the food-safety rules here.”
Council says it will hold two food-safety seminars in the second half of 2019. They will both have Chinese and Korean translators in attendance.
The NSW Food Authority urged the council to nominate Ryde for one of its information sessions next year.
REVIEWS OF FOOD OUTLETS
There have been mixed reviews of Eastwood’s Taiwan night markets on social media.
The Rowe Street markets have 12 stall operators, most of whom are from mainland China, and five pop-up kiosks at the night markets, which open six days a week.
James Hsuan-Yi Wu gave a thumbs-down after attending the markets during the busy Chinese lunar new-year celebrations.
“It’s not even Taiwanese! All I saw was a bunch of Chinese restaurants with menus and hoardings that have Chinese larger than English or no English at all. Plus, the toilets are extremely smelly and unhygienic,” he wrote.
Chung-Ming Cheung added: “Food is acceptable. Many choices there. However, the hygiene condition was bad. Especially the rest room, the smell was disgusting!”
On a brighter note, Jackie McMillan said: “Great spot! Clean, permanent stalls, places to sit that are constantly being cleaned and serviced, plus a good variety of things to eat at a reasonable price. Would return.”
And Hiu Wa Pong wrote: “Fabulous, lots of good food stalls.”
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