Posted: March 12th, 2009 - 5:51pm by Doug Powell

Franchisee QSR Pty Ltd, the owner of two KFC restaurants in Sydney’s south, has been convicted of 11 charges of breaching food hygiene laws between May 2007 and February 2008 and has been fined $73,000.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the potential health issues were compounded by the fact the company ignored directives to lift its game.

Inspectors discovered the problems after a complaint from a member of the public.

Mr Macdonald said the case was a "textbook example" of how consumer complaints helped inspectors police food safety in NSW.

But KFC defended QSR Pty Ltd, saying the breaches were just a "temporary breakdown" in standards.

KFC -- Food Safety Assured (right).