A TOTAL OF 12 food establishments across the country were issued with closure orders last month for breaches of food safety regulations.

In total, 16 establishments were issued with enforcement orders by the FSAI. These included eight closure orders under the FSAI Act, four closure orders under Irish laws, three enforcement orders and one improvement order.

The majority of the closure orders were lifted within days, after the establishment had addressed the matter at hand.

The eight food businesses served with closure order under the FSAI Act (1998) are:

• Longfield Academy (Closed area: Main kitchen used for reheating food), Rockview, Deerpark Rd, Cashel, Tipperary
• The Restaurant within Carnew Mart, Carnew, Wicklow
• OCrualaoi Butchers & Delicatessen (Closed area: The Kitchen), Scoil Mhuire Fatima, North Monastery Primary School, North Monastery Road, Cork
• Eskimo Pizza (Take Away), 31 Deansgrange Road, Deansgrange, Co. Dublin
• Baking Emporium (Foods of non-Animal Origin Processing), Bridgemount House, Dunmanway, Cork
• NDM Green Italia (Take Away), 37 Rathmines Road Upper, Rathmines, Dublin 6
• Grain and Gain (Restaurant/Café), The Bypass Business Park, Bandon, Cork
• Tinakilly Country House Hotel (Closed Area: Main kitchen – food preparation end adjacent baking area within the main building), Main Street, Rathnew, Wicklow

The four food businesses closed under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 were:

• Tasty Mac’s (Take Away), Main Street, Falcarragh, Donegal
• Welcome Home (Retailer), 2 Kickham Place, Tipperary Town, Tipperary
• CoCo Asian & Chinese Takeaway, Main Street, Ballingarry, Limerick
• Istanbul Kebab House (Restaurant/Café), 29 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1

The improvement order was served to Turkmen Grill, 1-2 Parnell Street, Limerick. Two prohibition orders were served to:

• Sean Kent (Under appeal), Ballyrichard, Arklow, Wicklow

BD Trading (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Unit 1b Kiltoran Business Park, Ballyhale, Kilkenny.

Finally, one prohibition order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Superior Distribution Ireland Ltd (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Blackwater Farm, Clongiffen, Longwood, Meath

 Reasons for closure

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) identified a large range of issues in the food establishments issued with enforcement orders. These include:

• Rat infestation
• significant build-up of rodent droppings
• presence of fruit and drain flies
• live maggots on old food residue
• extensive rodent droppings
• no wash hand basin with hot and cold water for food workers
• an inaccessible wash hand basin
• a complete lack of cleaning
• accumulation of grease and food debris
• dirty food contact equipment
• lack of adequate food storage and contamination prevention procedures
• persistent and historical failure to comply with food law
• no evidence of a food safety management system. 

Commenting on the orders, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI said it was important for food businesses to have adequate safety measures in place and to be vigilant on the run up to Christmas.

“Inadequate pest control measures, filthy premises and unsafe food storage are once again the primary reasons for the Enforcement Orders served in October,” she said in a statement.

“These issues are all preventable and food businesses must ensure that they always adhere to a high standard of food safety and hygiene.

“It is imperative that every food business has a proper pest control system in place and that this is checked very regularly to avoid infestations of rodents and insects.

With the busy Christmas period nearly upon us, food businesses must be especially vigilant to ensure compliance with the law and to protect the health of their customers.