Seeing Stars For Food Safety People who live, work and visit the Forbes Shire demand a high level of food safety when they choose to eat out. ‘Scores on Doors’ is a promotional program that recognises and celebrates food businesses that have demonstrated a good standard of food safety. Forbes Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM said “Scores on Doors creates a consistency in the local industry as everyone is judged on the same criteria.” All restaurants, cafes, bakeries and takeaways in the Forbes local area can receive a star rating. Officers from Forbes Shire Council frequently inspect food businesses to ensure hygiene standards are being met. When a business achieves good to excellent standards, after a random inspection, they are awarded a star rating by the inspector. A certificate is then issued by the Council and positioned in a clearly visible location, such as the front window or door of the business. Mayor Miller stated “This program offers businesses a fantastic opportunity to show
Local business staff and owners with Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM
customers how seriously they take their food hygiene. This gives customers an idea of what’s going on in the kitchen out the back.” Forbes Shire has joined the state-wide ‘Scores on Doors’ program, to improve food
safety standards and to reduce the instance of foodborne illnesses in the retail food industry. The purple and green certificate and stickers have a rating system of Five Stars for Excellent, Four Stars for Very Good and Three Stars for Good.
GREEN CESTRUM Green cestrum is a vigorous plant that can out-compete other vegetation. Green cestrum is toxic to animals including cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, poultry and humans. This weed is a Priority weed under the Biosecurity Act in the Central West Region. Green cestrum seeds germinate mainly in autumn with young plants taking two or more years to flower and set seed. Mature plants will flower and seed each year. Seeds from these plants can remain dormant in the soil for many years. It is spread most commonly in droppings from birds that have eaten the berries. Green cestrum is a common weed on vacant allotments, roadsides, river and creek banks or riparian areas.
The characteristics of green cestrum are: • Erect perennial shrub up to 3m high • Leaves are alternate, up to 12cm long and 2.5cm wide, and have an unpleasant odour when cruched • Greenish-yellow flowers grow in clusters at the ends of branches are trumpet shaped and up to 2.5cm long • Flowers produce an unpleasant perfume during the day but can smell quite sweet in the evening • Clusters of shiny, black, egg-shaped berries 7-10mm long are produced during summer and autumn For more information please contact Local Council Weeds Officer Tina Smart Forbes Shire Council Phone (02) 6850 2376 www.forbes.nsw.gov.au
WARNING: Green Cestrum frequently causes ‘sudden death’ in livestock and is highly toxic to all animal species and humans. Signs of poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal pain, depression, disorientation, walking with a stagger, irritability, weakness, going off their feed, lying on the ground, and finally a period of coma or terminal convulsions.