Food safety inspections for the years 2014, 2015, 2016

Nigel Gladstone made this Government Information (Public Access) request to Wollongong City Council as part of a batch sent to 149 authorities

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was successful.

Nigel Gladstone

Dear Local Council,

Can you please provide me with the number of food safety inspections carried out in your area annually, for the last three years?

How many warning were issued each year and how many fines each year?

What percentage of all food outlets did the council inspect each year?

Have any outlets been shut down for non-compliance and if so what for and how many?

What were the worst offences/biggest fines for each year?

Yours faithfully,

Nigel Gladstone

Mailbox4, Wollongong City Council

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Marco Forlano, Wollongong City Council

4 Attachments

Dear Mr Gladstone

 

Thank you for your enquiry. The NSW Food Authority collates all data
relating to Food Regulation by NSW councils as part of the Food Regulation
Partnership. As such, I recommend that you contact the Food Authority at
[1][email address] or by telephone on 1300 552 406 and
they can provide the information you request.

 

Kind regards

 

Marco Forlano

 

Marco Forlano
Health Coordinator (Acting)
Post Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong DC NSW 2500
Phone +61 2 4227 7111  ●  Fax +61 2 4227 7277
[2][IMG] Email [Wollongong City Council request email]  ●
 [3]www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

[4]Find us on [5]Follow us on [6]Follow us on
Facebook Twitter Instagram

 

Dear Local Council,

 

Can you please provide me with the number of food safety inspections
carried out in your area annually, for the last three years?

 

How many warning were issued each year and how many fines each year?

 

What percentage of all food outlets did the council inspect each year?  

 

Have any outlets been shut down for non-compliance and if so what for and
how many?

 

What were the worst offences/biggest fines for each year?

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Nigel Gladstone

 

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Nigel Gladstone

Dear Marco Forlano,

I have spoken to the NSW food authority and they do not hold the information I am seeking in this request. They have the fines data but not the number of food safety inspections
carried out in your area annually, for the last three years. Or how many warning were issued each year, or what percentage of all food outlets the council inspect each year or what the worst offences/biggest fines for each year are in each area. Hence my request.
Please let me know what you require from me to start the process whereby you procure this information.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

Marco Forlano, Wollongong City Council

Hello Nigel

Each year every NSW council is required to report on their food surveillance activities to the NSW Food Authority. This has been the case since 2008, when the Food Regulation Partnership was first established.

The data councils provide includes the number of inspections, reinspections, risk categories, number of warning letters, fines and prosecutions etc. Council's provide the information via an online questionnaire. We do not collect, nor are we required to provide data relating to the "worst offenders" or "biggest" fines as the fines are statutory in nature, based on defined food safety standards, and are not considered in subjective terms. The activity report questions for the 2015-16 financial year can be found here: https://nswfoodauthority.app.box.com/v/a....

While it is correct that the Food Authority retains the data relating to fines issued, and makes it publicly available via the "Name and Shame" register, it is also the case that they collate every council's data as described above. Given that you are interested in state-wide statistics, it is appropriate that the information is provided by the Food Authority as they collate the data in a consistent manner, rather than each individual council attempting to extract historical data.

I recommend that you contact The Food Authority's Manager Local Government Unit, Ben Lees, on 02 9741 4791 or [email address], and he should be able to help you by providing the last 3 years' activities reports in a spreadsheet.

Should you wish to obtain information regarding specific fines or food surveillance relating to businesses in the Wollongong LGA, you can make an application through Council's Right to Information Officer here: http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/custome....

Kind regards

Marco Forlano
Health Coordinator (Acting)
Post Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong DC NSW 2500
Phone +61 2 4227 7708
Email [email address]  ●   http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

-----Original Message-----
From: Nigel Gladstone [mailto:[FOI #2526 email]]
Sent: Friday, 28 October 2016 5:45 PM
To: Marco Forlano
Subject: RE: Government Information (Public Access) request - Food safety inspections for the years 2014, 2015, 2016

Dear Marco Forlano,

I have spoken to the NSW food authority and they do not hold the information I am seeking in this request. They have the fines data but not the number of food safety inspections carried out in your area annually, for the last three years. Or how many warning were issued each year, or what percentage of all food outlets the council inspect each year or what the worst offences/biggest fines for each year are in each area. Hence my request.
Please let me know what you require from me to start the process whereby you procure this information.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Gladstone

 

Thank you for your enquiry. The NSW Food Authority collates all data relating to Food Regulation by NSW councils as part of the Food Regulation Partnership. As such, I recommend that you contact the Food Authority at [1][email address] or by telephone on 1300 552 406 and they can provide the information you request.

 

Kind regards

 

Marco Forlano

 

Marco Forlano
Health Coordinator (Acting)
Post Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong DC NSW 2500 Phone +61 2 4227 7111  ●  Fax +61 2 4227 7277 [2][IMG] Email [Wollongong City Council request email]  ●
 [3]www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

[4]Find us on [5]Follow us on [6]Follow us on Facebook Twitter Instagram

 

Dear Local Council,

 

Can you please provide me with the number of food safety inspections carried out in your area annually, for the last three years?

 

How many warning were issued each year and how many fines each year?

 

What percentage of all food outlets did the council inspect each year?  

 

Have any outlets been shut down for non-compliance and if so what for and how many?

 

What were the worst offences/biggest fines for each year?

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Nigel Gladstone

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[7][FOI #2526 email]

 

Is [8][Wollongong City Council request email] the wrong address for Government Information (Public Access) requests to Wollongong City Council? If so, please contact us using this form:

[9]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

[10]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2526 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This email, including attachments, is intended for the recipient only. The email may contain confidential or privileged information or be subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or use any part of the e-mail. Any opinion stated in this e-mail is not the opinion of Wollongong City Council unless stated or apparent from its contents. Wollongong City Council believes this e-mail to be free of virus or defect however the recipient is responsible to ensure it is virus-free.

If you receive this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete the e-mail immediately.

Wollongong City Council respects your privacy and our Privacy Management Plan is located at: www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

hide quoted sections

Nigel Gladstone

Dear Marco Forlano,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply.

I have spoken to Ben Lees and he said he will try to help me out with this data, so you may have saved 152 councils a bit of work!

Much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

Nigel Gladstone

Dear Marco Forlano,

I have contacted the food authority who have referred me back to each council as the information is deemed yours (ie. the council's). I only want the information on the forms you send to the authority. Is it possible for you to send this to me?

I have received it from more than a dozen other councils so far..

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

Nigel Gladstone

Dear Marco Forlano,

Can I please clarify that I want to know how many high and medium risk food businesses were inspected in each year (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16) and what percentage of the total number of these were inspected in each year, how many warnings, formal improvement notices and fines were issued in each year? How many outlets were shut down each year, if any?

This request is very simple as all the information I am asking for is contained in an annual report all councils provide to the NSW food Authority.

If you do not have a copy of it, you can request it from the food authority and they will email it back to you. I am happy to go through the form myself to get the information as several other councils have sent it to me.

Unfortunately, the Food authority will not release the forms as it is third party information so I have to request it from all councils individually. I have already received this information from more than 50 councils now without the need for a formal GIPA as it is an informal request.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

Marco Forlano, Wollongong City Council

3 Attachments

Dear Nigel

Please find attached data extracted from the NSW Food Authority's annual activity report.

Kind regards

Marco Forlano
Health Coordinator (Acting)
Post Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong DC NSW 2500
Phone +61 2 4227 7708
Email [email address]  ●   http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

-----Original Message-----
From: Nigel Gladstone [mailto:[FOI #2526 email]]
Sent: Thursday, 8 December 2016 6:20 PM
To: Marco Forlano
Subject: Internal review of Government Information (Public Access) request - Food safety inspections for the years 2014, 2015, 2016

Dear Marco Forlano,

Can I please clarify that I want to know how many high and medium risk food businesses were inspected in each year (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16) and what percentage of the total number of these were inspected in each year, how many warnings, formal improvement notices and fines were issued in each year? How many outlets were shut down each year, if any?

This request is very simple as all the information I am asking for is contained in an annual report all councils provide to the NSW food Authority.

If you do not have a copy of it, you can request it from the food authority and they will email it back to you. I am happy to go through the form myself to get the information as several other councils have sent it to me.

Unfortunately, the Food authority will not release the forms as it is third party information so I have to request it from all councils individually. I have already received this information from more than 50 councils now without the need for a formal GIPA as it is an informal request.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone

-----Original Message-----

Hello Nigel

Each year every NSW council is required to report on their food surveillance activities to the NSW Food Authority. This has been the case since 2008, when the Food Regulation Partnership was first established.

The data councils provide includes the number of inspections, reinspections, risk categories, number of warning letters, fines and prosecutions etc. Council's provide the information via an online questionnaire. We do not collect, nor are we required to provide data relating to the "worst offenders" or "biggest" fines as the fines are statutory in nature, based on defined food safety standards, and are not considered in subjective terms. The activity report questions for the 2015-16 financial year can be found here: https://nswfoodauthority.app.box.com/v/a....

While it is correct that the Food Authority retains the data relating to fines issued, and makes it publicly available via the "Name and Shame" register, it is also the case that they collate every council's data as described above. Given that you are interested in state-wide statistics, it is appropriate that the information is provided by the Food Authority as they collate the data in a consistent manner, rather than each individual council attempting to extract historical data.

I recommend that you contact The Food Authority's Manager Local Government Unit, Ben Lees, on 02 9741 4791 or [email address], and he should be able to help you by providing the last 3 years' activities reports in a spreadsheet.

Should you wish to obtain information regarding specific fines or food surveillance relating to businesses in the Wollongong LGA, you can make an application through Council's Right to Information Officer here: http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/custome....

Kind regards

Marco Forlano
Health Coordinator (Acting)
Post Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong DC NSW 2500 Phone +61 2 4227 7708 Email [email address]  ●   http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2526 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This email, including attachments, is intended for the recipient only. The email may contain confidential or privileged information or be subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or use any part of the e-mail. Any opinion stated in this e-mail is not the opinion of Wollongong City Council unless stated or apparent from its contents. Wollongong City Council believes this e-mail to be free of virus or defect however the recipient is responsible to ensure it is virus-free.

If you receive this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete the e-mail immediately.

Wollongong City Council respects your privacy and our Privacy Management Plan is located at: www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

hide quoted sections

Nigel Gladstone

Dear Marco Forlano,

Thanks very much for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gladstone