Traditional Tasty Treats owners fined $120,000 for cannoli food safety breaches
UPDATE: A MUM has described “10 days of horror” as her three young kids and elderly father were struck down with salmonella after eating cannoli sold from a Preston Market stall.
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A MUM has described “10 days of horror” as her three young kids and elderly father were struck down with salmonella after eating cannoli sold from a Preston Market stall fined for food safety violations.
Monica Bonacci, from Bundoora, said they bought the cannoli from Preston Market stall Traditional Tasty Treats on February 4, 2016.
Filippo and Antoinetta Muscatello, who sold 1000 unrefrigerated cannoli on a hot summer’s day, were slapped with $120,000 fine after being found guilty of breaking 11 food safety laws.
The pair was convicted of selling unsafe food to customers, failing to maintain a clean kitchen, hand washing offences and other violations by a Heidelberg magistrate last November.
Ms Bonacci said she decided to treat her children with a cannoli as it was the start of the school year.
She said within hours of serving dessert, her two-year-old began vomiting, followed by her middle daughter, 7, and eldest son, 10.
The children were so violently ill that her youngest missed her first week of kinder and the eldest missed a crucial school camp to Canberra.
Ms Bonnaci’s four and five-year-old nieces, who also tried the dessert, were rushed to hospital in agony with severe salmonella poisoning.
She said the experience had not shaken her faith in the Preston Market.
“My mum and I have been going there for years. We just have our coffee at a different shop now,” she said.
But she didn’t hold back her ire at the Muscatellos for putting her kids’ lives at risk.
“They need to take some responsibility because food poisoning can be deadly. It’s really disappointing and worrying,” she said.
The conviction was recently listed on the Department of Health website, which names and shames food offenders for a period of 12 months.
Mr Muscatello acknowledged he had sold about 1000 discounted cannoli on a hot summer’s day after a market fridge broke down.
The incident led to 44 cases of salmonella poisoning being reported to Darebin Council.
“I feel really, really bad for what happened,” he said.
“I’ve been in business for over 35 years and nothing like this has ever happened to me.”
Mr Muscatello said the charges left him “devastated” and he could barely bring himself to come into work.
The Muscatellos sell thousands of cream-filled cannoli and other Italian desserts from their stall at Preston Market and a shop by the same name in Spring St, Reservoir.
In a case brought by the Darebin council, the pair was convicted of selling unsafe food and three other offences at the market stall site.
The pair was convicted of seven offences at the Reservoir shop, including the failure to prevent pests, unsafe food handling and poor hygiene.
The pair was found guilty of “failing to maintain the food premises to a standard of cleanliness where there was no accumulation of garbage, food waste, dirt, grease or other visible matter”.
But Mr Muscatello believed the council had treated him unfairly.
“I told the council what went wrong, but they were just trying to get me on something,” he said.
“All of a sudden they’re saying your floors and walls are dirty. The steam and the smoke — that happens in a bakery.
“Why should they come down really hard on me? I’m not perfect, I’m just like everybody else.”
Darebin Council director of civic governance and compliance Jacinta Stevens said Mr Muscatello’s complaints were baseless.
“We have an overwhelming responsibility to protect public health and we are not apologetic for leading a successful investigation that resulted in this business being prosecuted,” she said.
The couple were each ordered to pay $60,000 and $6750 in court costs.
Mr Muscatello said despite the massive financial blow he was keen to move on.
“I’m trying to get on with my life. Now I just tell every customer to put (the cannoli) in the fridge,” he said.