Pepperoni’s Camberwell fined almost $30k for breaching the Food Act
A grubby Italian pizza joint in Camberwell has been exposed on a shame list for having a dirty, pest-ridden kitchen after it was fined tens of thousands of dollars and convicted over a raft of food hygiene offences.
Inner East
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A filthy Italian eatery in Camberwell has been fined almost $30,000 for several breaches of the Food Act.
Pepperoni’s, which was on 727 Burke Rd in Camberwell and shut its doors last year, was convicted of a raft of hygiene offences including failing to store food in such a way that it is protected from the likelihood of contamination.
The former pizza joint was recently named and shamed on the State Government’s Food Convictions Register after being convicted in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on February 25.
It was convicted and fined $20,000 and ordered to pay costs of $7450.
According to the register, the business failed to take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the food premises and failed to ensure eating and drinking utensils were in a “clean and sanitary condition”.
It also failed to provide single use towels and other means of effectively drying hands and a temperature measuring device that was readily accessible, where potentially hazardous food was handled.
The eatery also failed to maintain a food premises to a standard of cleanliness where there was no accumulation of grease.
Earlier this year, it was revealed three popular Asian restaurants in Melbourne’s CBD were slapped with hefty fines for having dirty, pest-ridden kitchens.
The well-known Secret Kitchen restaurant near Melbourne’s Chinatown on Exhibition St, Pacific BBQ Cafe on Lonsdale St and Da Dong Bei on Russell St were also name and shamed on the Food Convictions Register following convictions in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last year for shocking food safety violations including failing to keep the restaurants free from pests, not storing food properly and having filthy premises.
Secret Kitchen, which specialises in Yum Cha and other Asian speciality dishes, was convicted and fined $17,000 and ordered to pay $2723 in costs for five breaches of the Food Act.
A Sunday Herald Sun and Leader investigation also revealed other grubby restaurants in Melbourne had been given warnings for more than three years before being hauled in front of a court.
A survey of 32 metropolitan councils has uncovered the hot spots for grubby restaurants in 2018 and 2019.
The former owners of Pepperoni’s in Camberwell could not be reached for comment.
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