NSW has a way to deal with restaurants and food outlets who don’t abide by the Food Safe rules. Food outlets are added to the NSW Name and Shame list, with a total number of premises on the list at 813. For a full list of premises on the Food Authority Name and Shame list is at www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/penalty-notices
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It was Heston Blumenthal who recently was responsible for food poisoning at his molecular gastronomic restaurant The Fat Duck, but now when Jörg Zipprick, a German food writer dined at Ferran Adria’s acclaimed $600 a meal E Bulli restaurant near Barcelona in Spain, he was unimpressed with this high temple of “molecular gastronomy” and says menus should carry health warnings informing diners of the additives in the dishes.
“These colorants, gelling agents, emulsifiers, acidifiers and taste enhancers that Adria has introduced massively into his dishes to obtain extraordinary textures, tastes and sensations do not have a neutral impact on health,” says Zipprick, adding that some have a laxative effect.
Molecular cooks also use polysaccharides from seaweed, which Zipprick says are suspected of causing intestinal cancer. Adria’s response is that the chemicals he uses have been part of haute cuisine for years and he denies his dishes pose any risk to health.
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It used to be regarded as “poor man’s food” but now rabbit has been reborn as a gourmet meat. Popular in Australia through the Depression rabbit farmers has made a resurgence in popularity.
Farmed Rabbit Industries of Australia director Doug Horridge said farmers in Tasmanian could not meet demand and there was a desperate need for more growers. `Restaurants and butchers are crying out for rabbit, but need a consistent supply. He says the demand is so great he has to buy in rabbits from Victoria to supplement the 50 he produces each week
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Where do your semi-dried tomatoes come from? 
An outbreak of hepatitis A has been linked to contaminated semi-dried tomatoes in Victoria with about a dozen Victorians diagnosed with hepatitis A this week.
Experts from the Department of Health fear a rerun of May’s spike in the disease in Victoria and South Australia that was associated with the consumption of semi-dried tomatoes. The virus is spread when traces of faecal matter contaminate hands, objects, water or food and are then taken in by mouth. Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Dr John Carnie, said that while the new outbreak was being investigated people should avoid eating “raw” semi-dried tomatoes. “People who may have semi-dried tomatoes at home should not eat them unless they are thoroughly cooked” such as in pizza and quiche,” he said. “Restaurants and cafes should also follow this advice.”
Take a look at the recently launched local food blog by Clare Richards www.tropicalcuisine.com.au/
Clare is currently creating her cookbook ‘Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen’ and the blog tracks Clare’s recipe development, research, visits to producers and overall process of bringing her cookbook together.
General contact information for Clare’s Kitchen and the brief overview of her business is also available at www.clareskitchen.com
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Blogging gets a Grip
The proliferation of food blogs has put the magazine world in a spin! Recipes are now at your fingertips , culinary adventure experiences are now virtual and kitchen gossip is spread at a lightning pace on the world wide web. This has been all too much for the Conde Nast Magazine ‘Gourmet’ that recently stopped print after 68 years. They don’t need to pay journalists, food stylists, photographers and production, not to mention the carbon footprint left by the tonnes of paper. It’s now all done virtually by blogging.
Some of Australia’s most popular blogs are…
http://www.notquitenigella.com/
http://www.tomatom.com
http://www.cookingismypassion.blogspot.com/
http://chezpim.typepad.com/
http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/
Visitors to Cairns Airport will get a typical taste of the tropics now Skybury Coffee has become the exclusive coffee served by HMSHost at its first new airport cafe in the redeveloped Cairns Airport Domestic Terminal.
General Manager of HMSHost, Stephen Hackshall, said the company had invited Skybury Coffee to tender for the coffee contract for the first cafe because the attributes of the Skybury brand suited the theme of a local concept cafe.
“HMSHost wanted to offer a local themed cafe concept as part of the terminal redevelopment and for us there was no better choice than to partner with Australia’s premier coffee producer and leading global exporter. We chose to serve Skybury coffee exclusively in the first of our new airport cafes, which is called Skybury Coffee and features themed visual branding of the Mareeba plantation,” said Mr Hackshall.
For more information skybury-coffee
Standards Australian has introduced strict industry requirements for products labelled organic are genuinely organic.
The standard establishes an agreed set of procedures for the production, preparation, transportation, marketing and labelling of organic and biodynamic food products as well as textiles.
The development of the standard comes after an increase in unsubstantiated claims on labels and will make it easier to prosecute unscrupulous companies by clearly defining what qualifies as organic.
Mr John Tucker CEO of Standards Australia said consumers had led the demand for change in the multi-million dollar industry, which was now mainstream.
Expensive Mangos - for a Good Cause
Susan Lorenti from the Clayfield Markets was named Mango Queen when she purchase tray of 12 mangoes for $45,000 at this year’s mango auction at the Brisbane Markets.
Markets spokeswoman Ann Marie Johansen says today’s event raised about $70,000 for two Queensland charities; Life Education Queensland and Red Kite.
Source: abc.net.au
Publication date: 10/8/2009
Since its launch in 2004, the prestigious Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce Awards has been uncovering and celebrating Australia’s finest producers and suppliers.
The awards acknowledge those who are committed to quality and consistency in what they grow and create, and food lovers who promote small producers through restaurants, providores and markets. Now bigger than ever, the 2010 Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce Awards are open for nominations.
Nominate your favourite Australian producer and win a prize worth over $5,000
Nominate your favourite producers for the 2010 Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce Awards and win a two-night package for two, worth over $5,000, at luxury Queensland resort Qualia. For more information and to nominate, see categories below, simply email produce@vogueentertaining.com.au
For the full list of winners and finalists of the 2009 Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce Awards, download this PDF.
Source: Vogue Entertaining + Travel - August 2009