SEVEN FOOD BUSINESSES were served closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in March.

Some of the reasons for the closure orders include evidence of rodent infestation, a dead rat in a trap and droppings behind a washing machine, a wash hand basin for food handlers not having any hot water and staff failing to demonstrate any knowledge of food safety management procedures.

The closure orders were issued by environmental health officers in the HSE and by officers of the FSAI. 

Five closure orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on:

• China Palace (restaurant/café), 11 Main Street, Roscommon
• Stela Foods (wholesaler/distributor), Unit 2, Greenhills Business Park, Drogheda, Louth
• Yomari Foods Ltd (takeaway), Main Street, Boyle, Roscommon
• Stela Food Stores (wholesaler/distributor), (closed area: Closure of Stela Food Stores building (excluding the three 40 foot fixed containers and one 40 foot container attached to mobile trailer outside the building), Unit 8, Ringwood Centre, Damastown Close, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15
• Republic of Grill (Take Away), Wickham Way Market, Wickham Street, Limerick

Two closure orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020 on:

• Eddie Rockets (restaurant/café), Point Village, East Wall Road, Dublin 1
• PY Fast Food Food Stall, Trading on Moore Street, Dublin 1

During an inspection of China Palace, inspectors observed a dead rat in a rat trap and “numerous” rat droppings behind a washing machine.

They also noted that there was “evidence of a rodent infestation in a room which houses the staff toilet, staff storage facilities and laundry facilities”. The order was lifted on 1 April.

An inspection of Stela Foods found that there was “no evidence of any measures in place to control pests”, with the inspector writing that live mice were seen “on five occasions in the warehouse floor and one in an office on the ground floor”. 

Dead mice were also observed on the warehouse floor, on equipment and in an office. 

The inspector also noted that rat droppings were evidence “throughout the warehouse, on equipment used to decant and repackage food, on machinery, in silos and hoppers with food in them and on food situated on racking in the warehouse and on food packaging”. 

Yomari Foods was found to have inadequate drainage facilities, which were “not designed to avoid the risk of contamination”.

Blocked drains were observed outside the kitchen door in the premises, which resulted in “stagnant waste water throughout the yard”. The order was lifted on 21 March. 

An inspection of Eddie Rockets at Point Village on 26 March found evidence of “multiple fresh rodent droppings in multiple areas throughout the kitchen”, including in the wash-up area, and in the area where cleaning equipment was stored.

Inspectors also noted that staff were “unable to access the food safety management procedure in any form”  and they were “not familiar with the contents of any food safety management procedure”. The order was lifted on 31 March. 

FSAI chief Greg Dempsey said enforcement orders “are only served where there is a serious and immediate risk to consumer health, or where there are persistent and significant breaches of food law, and not for minor infractions”. 

“In many of the closure orders issued this month, there was a clear absence of the most basic food safety procedures, alongside high levels of pest activity and poor hygiene standards,” he said. 

“It is essential that all food businesses implement and maintain a robust food safety management system to prevent such violations.

“There can be no excuse for putting consumers’ health at risk through negligent practices and failing to comply with the legal requirements. Food businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure the food they sell or serve is safe to eat.”