The Health Department in WA has issued its largest ever fine according to the West Australian newspaper. The fine was issued to a McDonald's outlet in Rockingham for repeated breaches related to food storage, cleanliness of premises and the presence of “animals and pests”.
In the previous year, the same restaurant was found to be selling sub-standard food which resulted in another fine of $20,000 in early 2012.
Mike Daube, Professor of Health Policy at Curtin University commented that it was good that food safety breaches are being taken so seriously, telling the newspaper that "fines of this magnitude send out a message that food safety really does matter and that offenders, especially repeat offenders, will pay a high price for putting their customers at risk."
In total, eight eateries have been fined for food safety breaches in WA this year, with a total of $400,000 fines between them.
McDonald's released a statement on the breaches, stating that it was disappointed by the incidents and considered them a serious issue. "These cases were regrettable and inconsistent with McDonald's Australia's track record," she said. "We took swift action to work with the restaurant and immediate actions were taken."
