Twelve enforcement orders served on food businesses in July

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that four Closure Orders and eight Prohibition Orders were served on food businesses during the month of July for breaches of food safety legislation.

Three Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Zing by Chaska (restaurant/café), 90 – 91 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1
• Superfruit, The English Market, Cork
• Bamboo Foods Ltd (restaurant/café), Station Roundabout, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny, Donegal

One Closure Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Doson (take away), 10 Dorset Street Lower, Dublin 1

Eight Prohibition Orders, which are under appeal, were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Holland and Barrett (under appeal), Units 5 & 6, Cedar Drive, Dublin Airport Logistics Park, Saint Margarets Road, Saint Margarets, County Dublin

Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in July include: live rats spotted on the premises; rat droppings found near food storage and evidence of pests gnawing foodstuffs; a very poor standard of basic hygiene in the food preparation areas posing a risk of food contamination; food handlers inadequately trained and lacking knowledge on temperature control, pest control and cleaning; high-risk cooked foods were not temperature-controlled, with chicken found to have been stored at 23 degrees Celsius; and a lack of food safety monitoring leading to unsafe food being produced and sold.

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI has emphasised the importance of vigorous pest control systems, which should be facilitated across all food businesses in Ireland.

She also stressed that particular attention is required to ensure food is stored correctly and safely, especially during summer months when temperatures are usually higher.

“These Closure Orders demonstrate the importance of regular and consistent checks by businesses to ensure safe food practices are in place and adhered to in the interest of protecting consumer health,” she said.

“It is disappointing to see a number of these enforcement orders relating to the presence of rodents on the premises.

“Ensuring food is free of contamination includes putting robust pest control systems in place and also training/supervising staff appropriately.

“It must also be noted that summer is a particularly busy time of year for many food businesses, and it is critical that businesses have the necessary systems in place to account for both the increase in customers and temperatures.

“Food bacteria can multiply quickly in warm weather and food businesses must ensure food is stored correctly.”

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie.

Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.