The former director of a Sydney bakery has been fined more than $12,000 over an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.

The NSW Food Authority has successfully prosecuted the former director of a the Bankstown Bakehouse over the foodborne illness outbreak which saw 83 people fall ill with salmonella food poisoning, 20 of them hospitalised, last January.
The matter was heard in the Chief Industrial Magistrates Court last month, with the magistrate finding the former director guilty of four charges including; selling unsafe food, unsafe handling of raw egg products, unclean equipment and the failure to ensure food handlers had adequate skills and knowledge about food safety.
As well as being fined the director was ordered to pay the prosecution’s costs.
NSW Food Authority chief executive officer Polly Bennett said the prosecution was a significant one for the Food Authority.
"And it sends a clear message to all retail food outlets that you will face enforcement action, and in some cases, prosecution, if you breach the Food Standards Code," she said.
"It is the responsibility of every food business to ensure that the food they serve is safe to eat.
"The charge of failing to ensure adequate knowledge and skills of food handlers is an important reminder that competent food handlers play an important role in preventing outbreaks of foodborne illness."
Bennett said the introduction of the requirement for Food Safety Supervisor certification by the NSW Government in October last year, aimed at addressing poor food handling practices, is a "significant step in the right direction".
"This means employees are adequately trained in safe food handling practices, including the importance of hygiene and sanitising equipment to prevent cross-contamination – the main ingredient for spreading foodborne illnesses," she said.
Bennett said the Bankstown Bakehouse foodborne illness outbreak led the Food Authority to work jointly with another local government to raise the level of food safety awareness at hot bread shops with encouraging results.
She said 93 per cent of businesses surveyed demonstrated adequate cleaning and sanitising at the end of the project compared to just 55 per cent at the beginning.
"The percentage of businesses that had a trained Food Safety Supervisor in place also went from only 31 per cent to 100 per cent compliance by the end of the project."