Do you know any of these places?
Four closure orders and one prohibition order were served on Irish food businesses during August, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The enforcement orders were issued for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 by environmental health officers in the HSE and officers of the FSAI.
Two Closure Orders were served under the European Union regulations on:
- J2 Sushi & Bento (Closed activities: Part of the activities of the business, its establishments, holdings or other premises be ceased namely the preparation and sale of sushi and sashimi), 75 Main Street, Swords, Dublin (issued on 24/8/2021 and lifted on 31/8/2021)
- Hempture and Hempland (All activities of the food business, its establishments, holdings or other premises and the internet sites and social media sites operated by food business be ceased for the purpose of placing food on the market), 6, 6a, 7, 7a Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1 (issued on 6/8/2021)
Two Closure Orders were also served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Johnny's Grub Hub (Closed area: Food preparation and cooking shed adjacent to food stall), Pickardstown, Tramore, Waterford (issued on 31/8/2021)
- Good Coffee Matters Food Stall (Closed area: Namely the derelict building adjacent to the food stall used for storage of food and toilet facilities), Trading at Drumkeenan, Roscrea, Tipperary (issued on 3/8/2021)
One Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Heaney Meats Catering Co. Limited, Liosban Industrial Estate, Galway (issued on 18/8/2021 and lifted on 24/8/2021)
Under the FSAI Act, 1998, a closure order is served where it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises; or where an improvement order is not complied with.
Closure orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities.
Under the EU regulations, closure orders are served where there is a non-compliance with food legislation.
The orders may be lifted when the premises has improved to the satisfaction of the authorised officer.
A prohibition order is issued under the FSAI Act if the activities of a food business involve or are likely to involve a serious risk to public health from a particular product, class, batch or item of food.
The effect is to prohibit the sale of the product, either temporarily or permanently.
Among the reasons for the enforcement orders in August include no running water to the building that contained the toilets, a dead bird being found in the premises; no controls being in place to control the risk associated with storage, preparation and offering for sale of sushi and sashimi and an oven being stored on the floor which could cause food contamination.
"Protective clothing was stained and stored unprotected in an open yard area; a derelict building which contained the toilet and storage of some foodstuffs was in an extremely dirty condition, evidenced by filth, grime and general waste throughout; failure to ensure that the competent authority had up-to-date information on the range of activities taking place at the establishment; the placing of unsafe food on the market," were other reasons listed.
The dead bird was found on the premises of Good Coffee Matters.
In a statement, FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne warned that there is a legal responsibility for food businesses to act responsibly and ensure the food they provide to customers is safe to eat.
“There is no excuse for behaviour which has the potential to put consumers’ health at risk. We are once again appealing to all food businesses to ensure they are fully compliant with food safety procedures and hygiene legislation," she said.
"Consumers have a right to safe food and in turn, food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure what they provide is safe to eat. All food business owners must ensure that their business is complying with food law at all times."
