Two Dublin food premises served with closure orders in December

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has revealed that two Dublin premises were served with closure orders during the month of December.

The Hole in the Wall pub on Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7 was ordered to close its kitchen, side preparation areas and storage shed while RBK Poultry Limited in Chapelizod Industrial Estate was also ordered to shut.

Overall, there were six premises ordered to close across the country in December.

The FSAI says that some of the reasons why the closure orders were issued include: an open bin of uncovered animal meat stored outside a premises within east access of vermin and pests, an establishment stored meat considered unfit for human consumption due to putrefaction, foreign body contamination and poor storage conditions, and an unregistered meat food business was operating with no food safety procedures or records to fulfil meat traceability requirements.

Other reasons listed include a freezer room being switched off, previous inspection notes not being followed, food workers not wearing protective clothing, and rodent droppings found on packet of foods on sale.

The FSAI also announced that 77 enforcement orders were issues in 2022, an increase of 31 percent on the 59 that were served in 2021.

Commenting on the annual figures, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of FSAI said she would have hoped to see a reduction in the number of enforcement orders, but disappointingly this was not the case.

“Through the hard work of our partner agencies and food inspectors in 2022, food businesses that disregarded the law and put consumer health at risk were stopped,” she said.

“However, this should not be happening.

“Enforcement Orders are served on food businesses only when a risk to consumer health has been identified or where there are a number of ongoing breaches of food legislation.

“Food businesses should not be falling short on their legal requirements.

“They should adhere to food safety regulations at all times. It is disappointing that month after month, food inspectors find similar, basic and fundamental breaches of food law”.