ELEVEN FOOD BUSINESSES were served closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in October, including a company providing hot school meals for children.

Rat droppings were found in the kitchen of a site operated by The Lunch Bag at Clontarf Educate Together National School in Clontarf West, Dublin 5.

Food handling staff confirmed to inspectors that a rat was spotted in the kitchen in early October.

Some reasons listed for closure orders at other food businesses last month include mice droppings at The Crescent Stores in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, rodent activity at a Camile Thai in Dolphin’s Barn and a kitchen surface “engrained with grease” at Top 3 Chinese in Stillorgan.

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

During the inspection of The Lunch Bag site at the school in Clontarf, an inspector wrote that in the kitchen and  associated areas, rodents “are likely to have had contact with food, food packaging and utensils for childrens’ meals”.

The closure orders is not listed as having been lifted.

Elsewhere, Kimchi Hop House, a Dublin city restaurant located on Parnell Street, was ordered closed after a dead rat was discovered under a dishwasher in the kitchen by an inspector.

Rat droppings were also found on the floor of the kitchen, as well as on a windowsill near a countertop fridge storing open food.

The closure order was lifted on 4 November.

At Top 3 Chinese, a restaurant and takeaway in Stillorgan, inspectors noted that there was a “serious lack of basic cleaning and diinfection” in the premises.

One surface was described to be “engrained with grease and old food debris”, and inspectors also found inadequate procedures in place to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.

The restautant’s closure order was lifted on Monday.

Greg Dempsey, chief executive of the FSAI, said that October’s enforcement orders “once again highlight the importance of maintaining strong food safety and hygiene practices across all food businesses”.

“Issues such as inadequate pest control, poor cleaning standards and unsafe food storage continue to be the main reasons for enforcement action – these are entirely preventable non-compliances when proper food safety management systems are in place,” Dempsey said.

“With the busy Christmas period fast approaching, we are reminding food businesses to start preparing now so that they have robust food safety procedures in place to deal with increased demands and pressures on their business,” Dempsey added.