NSF Celebrates First Australian Client Under Retail Food Safety Audits Program

In January 2026, Brooklyn Donut & Coffee Co. became the first Australian outlet to be recognised under the program. The achievement marks an important step for the Australian quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector and signals strong market demand for scalable, independent food safety frameworks.

“NSF is excited to see Australian brands like Brooklyn Donut & Coffee Co. taking the lead in demonstrating a strong commitment to food safety leadership,” said Sarah Flanagan, Senior Manager, Food Oceania at NSF.

The milestone follows NSF’s expansion of its Retail Food Safety Audits program across ASEAN and Australia. Built on decades of global auditing expertise and insights gathered from thousands of site assessments, the program provides structured, independent frameworks tailored to food service, hospitality and retail food operators.

Designed to support brands at every stage of growth, the program enables operators to move beyond reactive compliance and establish consistent, measurable food safety performance across locations.

The success of Brooklyn Donut & Coffee Co. demonstrates how independent validation and structured oversight can elevate everyday operational practices into trusted performance standards — particularly in competitive, fast-paced QSR environments.

With heightened consumer awareness and increasing regulatory scrutiny, Australian operators face growing pressure to demonstrate food safety performance — not just promise it.

“Food safety excellence doesn’t slow QSR operations down — it’s designed to protect them and avoid repeating food safety issues throughout their locations,” said Sutida Ketudut, Interim Managing Director of APAC at NSF. “Brands that invest early are better positioned to grow with confidence.”

To explore how the NSF Retail Food Safety Audits program supports operators at every stage of growth, learn more about NSF Food Safety Essentials, Food Safety Plus and Food Safety Advanced.