Local café puts food safety at the top of the menu

In the space of nine months, Social, Fresh and Local café has improved their star rating through council’s Eat Safe Mackay food safety inspection scheme from three stars, to five.

Social, Fresh and Local is a small café located in Walkerston Shopping Centre that serves some of the best coffee in the region and boasts an extensive range of homemade cakes, slices, sandwiches, wraps, salads and pastries, among other things.

Social, Fresh and Local business partner, Belinda Potts said she had been an advocate for food safety from a young age.

“I’ve worked in the hospitality industry since I was 14, so I’m familiar with good food handling and safety practices,” she said.

“It’s always been my dream to own my restaurant, so when we got the opportunity to purchase this café late last year, I jumped at the chance.

“I’m passionate about food safety and committed to taking all the correct measures to providing hygienically-prepared, safe and delicious food for my customers.”

Belinda said is was a great feeling receiving her five-star Eat Safe rating last month.

“We were always a clean café, but we had to implement a few extra measures such as regularly recording fridge temperatures to ensure food is stored correctly and labelling containers with use-by dates, to achieve our five-star rating,” she said.

“The rating shows the community that we are committed to food safety, so they can have peace of mind when dining at our café.

“I would encourage all businesses to sign up to the Eat Safe program as it not only ensures that you are meeting your responsibilities by providing safe food for your customers, but it is also great advertising and recognition for your business.”

Social, Fresh and Local is open Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 4pm and Saturday from 7.30am to 1pm.

Eat Safe Mackay is a regulatory food safety inspection scheme run by Mackay Regional Council.

Businesses that receive a three, four or five-star rating are following good food safety practices and are a great choice. So, when choosing where to eat, look for the stars.

Click here for more details on the Eat Safe Mackay program, including a list of local restaurants and their scores.