Latest News

  • Suspect water taken for sale

    Water trucks have been taking domestic supplies from springs near where contaiminated groundwater was found at Kingaroy, locals claim.

    The residents claim contractors took water from a main spring inside a marked 2km exclusion zone after farmers were ordered to shut down their bores after toxic chemicals benzene and toluene were found.

    A DERM spokesman said officers had advised

  • Hotline to dob in the gastro spreaders - Food Safety

    Coughs, colds and stomach viruses are being spread through restaurants, cafes and takeway shops this winter by employees who are being pressured into working while they are sick.

     The NSW Food Authority has investigated several reports of businesses suspected of allowing staff with symptoms of gastroenteritis, such as vomiting and diarrhoea to handle food or serve customers........

  • Up in arms over shonky service

    The consumer people at Choice offer some advice:

    Taste is subjective, so asserting your rights about unsatisfying food in restaurants can be tricky.  According to state fair trading laws, you have the right to a refund or remedy if the products or services do not meet reasonable expectations.  But if you think the food is too salty or sour, you have the right not to eat it and

  • Keeping an Eye on Food Recalls - Food Safety

    Food identified as a risk to public health and safety is recalled. Recalls are normally triggered by consumer complaints, company testing or government testing.

  • Roquefort cheese

    Roquefort cheese, which is made from raw sheeps' milk and is unpasteurised, was approved for sale in Australia by federal authorities after a ten year ban. Cheese produced in Australia must be heat treated to destroy dangerous food pathogens, such as E Coli and Listeria.

  • Betting is on Cairns

    Cairns would become Australia's answer to Las Vegas under a controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines.

    The proposal was aired on 5th July at Brisbane at one of the touism industry's key annual conventions, Tourism Futures.

    It would copy the US model, where Nervada is the only state to have no significant restrictions on gaming machines.

  • Online pokies are a political gamble

    A recent article by Peter Cameron of the Gold Coast Bulletin makes us question the sudden push to legalise online poker in Australia, when our annual gambling losses are nudging $20 billion.

    Even though the number of poker  machines in Queensland is capped at 47,000 and $50 and $100 notes cannot be fed into them, regular machine players spend up to $8,000 a year.

    There is p

  • Food Safety - Frogburger enough to make you jump

    Next time you tuck into a salad, check to see whether there are any frogs' legs in the mix.  Frogs are notorious for weaseling their way into fresh produce, largely due to their camouflaging ability among the leaves.

    Three were recenty brought into the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Hospital.............after unsuspecting consumers found them in lettuce and banana leaves.

  • Food Safety - Sushi Warning - Today Tonight, Channel 7

    Testing has shown four out of five sushi samples bought in certain areas are crawling with bacteria which can cause serious illness.

    Four sushi rolls had had hidden bacillus cereus, a food poisoning bug found in rice.
    It should be at levels less than 100 - one chicken roll had a count of 600.

    In Brisbane, almost half of the sushi outlets failed.......The sample also tested po

  • Food Safety - Top chef defends 'cakeage' charge

    A reputable chef has come out swinging in defence of Gold Coast restaurants charging 'cakeage' - a surcharge for serving slices of cakes brought in by patrons.