Familiar with any of these spots?
Four closure orders and one prohibition order were served on Irish food businesses during the month of June, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The enforcement orders were issued for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant 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.
Four Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- The Hudson Rooms (restaurant) (Closed area: Ground floor bar and indoor seating area), Unit 3 Western End Rotunda, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Fonthill Road North, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 (Date issued 24/06/22, date lifted 30/06/22)
- The Hudson Rooms (restaurant) (Closed area: Ground floor kitchen area, first floor bar and rear storage to ensure entire food operation has ceased), Unit 3 Western End Rotunda, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Fonthill Road North, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 (Date issued 23/06/22, date lifted 30/06/22)
- Apache Pizza, 37 Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin (Date issued 10/06/22, date lifted 17/06/22)
- Roma Take Away, Main Street, Portarlington, Co. Laois (Date issued 08/06/22, date lifted 10/06/22)
One Closure Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
- Han Lin Palace (now under new management from 18 June 2022) (restaurant), 13-15 Bridge Street, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin
Some of the reasons for the enforcement orders include a lack of pest prevention and control measures with rodent droppings visible in the premises, food handlers demonstrating a lack of understanding regarding the use of protective clothing and headgear.
Other reasons listed include a lack of understanding to prevent contamination from jewellery when preparing food; personal items such as a vape kit, car keys and mobile phones stored directly above cooling food, a lack of adequate labelling to facilitate traceability, undeclared allergen information, inadequate hand-washing facilities and no food safety management system in place.
In addition to the above June activity, one prosecution was taken by the HSE in relation to:
- Freestyle Buffet, 23-24 North Main Street, Cork
“Food business owners have a duty to their customers, their staff and themselves to ensure food regulations are being followed on their premises,” said Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI.
“It is not acceptable firstly that staff are not wearing appropriate protective clothing and secondly that they are unaware of the risks of possible food contamination when they do not follow such food preparation guidance.
“Staff must be properly trained and/or supervised to ensure compliance with the legal requirements and attention must be paid to the basics of good hand-washing, effective cleaning and proper storage of food. These legal requirements are in place to ensure that consumers’ health is not being put at risk. Enforcement Orders are not served for minor breaches and consumers have a right to safe food.”
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