Recognise these places?
Four closure orders were served on Irish food businesses during July, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The enforcements orders were issued for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998, and to the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and officers of the FSAI.
Three Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Zing by Chaska (restaurant/café), 90 - 91 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1
- Superfruit, The English Market, Cork
- Bamboo Foods Ltd (restaurant/café), Station Roundabout, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny, Donegal
One Closure Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
- Doson (take away), 10 Dorset Street Lower, Dublin 1
Eight Prohibition Orders, which are under appeal, were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
- Holland and Barrett (under appeal), Units 5 & 6, Cedar Drive, Dublin Airport Logistics Park, Saint Margarets Road, Saint Margarets, County Dublin
Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in the past month include live rats spotted on the premises, rat droppings found near food storage and evidence of pests gnawing food, a very poor standard of basic hygiene in the food preparation areas posing a risk of food contamination, inadequately trained food handlers who lacked knowledge on temperature control, pest control and cleaning, high-risk cooked foods not being temperature-controlled, and a lack of food safety monitoring which lead to unsafe food being produced and sold.
“These Closure Orders demonstrate the importance of regular and consistent checks by businesses to ensure safe food practices are in place and adhered to in the interest of protecting consumer health," siad Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI.
"It is disappointing to see a number of these enforcement orders relating to the presence of rodents on the premises. Ensuring food is free of contamination includes putting robust pest control systems in place and also training/supervising staff appropriately.
"It must also be noted that summer is a particularly busy time of year for many food businesses, and it is critical that businesses have the necessary systems in place to account for both the increase in customers and temperatures. Food bacteria can multiply quickly in warm weather and food businesses must ensure food is stored correctly.”
