Toowoomba council reveals new food safety statistics into restaurants, businesses fines for improper practices

Restaurants and businesses with food licences have forked out tens of thousands in fines for poor health and safety. Check out the shocking stats here:

UPDATE: Toowoomba restaurants and eateries were fined more than $90,000 over the past two years for food safety and health violations.

Updated data from the Toowoomba Regional Council has been released after The Chronicle revealed on Monday nearly one in 10 businesses with food licences that were inspected by council were fined.

In 2021-22, these 56 fines amounted to $38,584 in fines, while in 2020-21 there were more than $52,000 in penalties for 79 outlets.

Environment and community portfolio leader Councillor Tim McMahon said eateries were fined for a variety of offences.

“The main issues that warranted the issuing of fines included the failure to comply with the food standards code and operating a licensable food business without a license,” he said.

“Issues such as premises cleanliness, matters relating to handwash basins and food storages were high on the list.”

Mr McMahon also revealed the significant drop in inspections from council between 2021 and 2022 was due to a lack of staff.

“The number of inspections carried out each year were a direct result of constraints relating to staff resourcing,” he said.

EARLIER: Nearly one in 10 Toowoomba region restaurants and food businesses that were inspected by council were issued fines for improper health and safety practices.

New statistics have revealed the Toowoomba council’s health inspectors issued 56 fines to eateries and other businesses with food licences during the 2021-22 financial year, after the team carried out 570 inspections.

This represents 9.8 per cent of all businesses inspected and came on the back of 79 complaints to council.

This is down from 79 fines in the 2020-21 financial year, but that figure was reached from more than 1000 inspections.

More than 150 licence-holders were also hit with correction notices in 2021-22, up from just 137 during the previous period.

There was also one food licence cancelled in the past financial year.

While it refused to release the list of businesses, the council said its inspection team was “robust”.

“TRC undertakes a robust food licensing and compliance program to ensure minimum standards and relevant laws are met by eateries to keep the community safe,” Toowoomba councillor Tim McMahon said.

Each year, about 4.1m cases of food poisoning are reported across Australia each year, which in 2020 led to 86 deaths and 31,000 hospitalisations.