You may know some of these places.
The presence of a live rodent, the presence of rodent droppings and a suspected pool of blood in a goods storage unit, with a foul smell coming from the area, were amongst the reasons for six closure orders being served on food businesses in Ireland in December.
Six closure orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
· The Carrots Tail Ltd. (Restaurant/Café), 192 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6
· Joe’s Take Away, 3 Dean Street, Kilkenny
· Beef and Lobster (Restaurant/Café), Unit 1 and 2 Parliament Building, 37-40 Parliament Street, Dublin 2
· Circle K Service Station, Belgard Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24
· Indian Aagrah/Bombay Brasserie (Restaurant/ Café), 89 Sundays Well Road, Cork
· Lidl Ireland GmbH (Closed area: Main store and warehouse, bakery preparation area, temporary storage container and adjoining delivery area), M1 Retail Park, Mell, Drogheda, Louth.
Some of the reasons cited for the enforcement orders in December include: a live rodent was noted in an exposed cavity wall next to food storage units, rodent droppings found in storage units which contained exposed food, and a suspected pool of blood appeared to be present in a goods storage unit with a foul smell coming from the area.
While revealing the reasons for the enforcement orders on Wednesday, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) also revealed that 124 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches in food safety legislation in 2019, increasing by 13% when compared to 2018 (110).
Between 1 January and 31 December 2019, food inspectors served 107 Closure Orders, four Improvement Orders and 13 Prohibition Orders on food businesses throughout the country.
Commenting on the annual figures, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, stressed the serious nature of a food business being served an Enforcement Order.
“Enforcements, especially Closure Orders and Prohibition Orders, are never served for minor food safety breaches,” said Byrne.
“They are served on food businesses only when a serious risk to consumer health has been identified or where there are a number of ongoing breaches of food legislation that could cause serious hygiene or other operational issues. There is no excuse for careless food safety practices.
“Food inspectors are encountering the same issues time and time again. The typical reasons why Enforcement Orders have to be served are easily avoidable. While the vast majority of food businesses are compliant with food safety legislation, we still continue to face negligent practices that are potentially putting consumer’s health at risk.
“It is disappointing to see an increase in Enforcement Orders for the second consecutive year and businesses should take action to prevent the trend continuing into 2020.”
Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website.
Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.
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