Due to the disgusting way this situation was handled by the press we have no alternative than to close the doors of the Bakery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This occurred three weeks ago with the loss of 15 jobs in a business that has been in the Illawarra for over 50 years.
We feel for the families who lost loved ones in the incident but let us make this clear:
• At no stage was Betta Maid accused of causing the IRT incident.
• There has never been an allegation made against the company.
• The authorities will not be prosecuting Betta Maid.
• The Health Department has closed the case and the NSW Food Authority have lifted the prohibition order.
Betta Maid says it has been forced to shut down by the "disgusting" coverage they received from the press, by which they mean the Mercury.
It's as fine a case of shoot the messenger as you could wish to see. No one wants to see a local business close.
But the facts are these:
• Two elderly people died after ingesting food contaminated with an extremely rare strain of salmonella.
• That very same strain of salmonella has been scientifically proven to have been present in food production equipment at the Betta Maid factory.
• It has also been scientifically proven to have been present in food at IRT facilities, food which was made by Betta Maid in that factory.
• A rigorous investigation, including scientific tests, failed to find any salmonella in other food or equipment either at IRT or any of its other suppliers.
Betta Maid says it has never been accused of causing the IRT incident, and that no allegations have been made against it.
Those statements are, to be polite, disingenuous. Yes, it is true no one has said those words. But given the facts above, no one needed to. Those facts speak for themselves.
Betta Maid also says "the authorities will not be prosecuting Betta Maid".
This is simply not true.
We know this, because after receiving Betta Maid's statement, we asked the NSW Food Authority and were told that decision has not yet been made: "The NSW Food Authority will continue to conduct its investigation into whether there may be a case to pursue in relation to taking enforcement action against the company."
Betta Maid would like to blame its fate on the Mercury: If only we had kept quiet, they would not be in this predicament. But it is not the Mercury's fault that salmonella was detected on Betta Maid equipment and in Betta Maid food. Betta Maid can cry foul as much as it likes. But in the end, the bitter truth is: Betta Maid cooked its own goose.
