The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that ten Closure Orders and five Prohibition Orders were served on food businesses during the month of May for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.
The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and by officers of the FSAI.
Five Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Haperty Limited – Trading at Mind Mega Mela 2025 (Closed activity: the activity associated with the handling, preparation and cooking of raw fish and raw poultry for sale to members of the public) (Takeaway), St Margaret’s Road, Finglas Dublin 11
- Spice Village & Indian Kebab House (Takeaway), Ferry Road, Tarbert, Kerry
- Houda Foods (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Unit 5, Ballinlough Business Park, Ballinlough, Roscommon
- Heyba’s Kitchen, Shed A3 Bremore Farm, Flemington Lane, Bremore, Balbriggan, County Dublin
- Stop n Shop Convenience Store, 52-54 Tullow Street, Carlow
Five Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
- Kerala Royal Caters (Service Sector), Unit 27C, Ashbourne Business Centre, Ballybin Road, Ashbourne, Meath
- Pizza Corner (Take Away), Main Street Caherconlish, Limerick
- Shake Dog (Restaurant/ Café), Unit 23, Showgrounds Shopping Centre, Clonmel, Tipperary
- Thindi (Service Sector), 143 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7
- Tasty Food (Takeaway), Unit 2, Cross Avenue, Ballyneety, Limerick
Two Prohibition Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Haperty Limited (Trading at Mind Mega Mela 2025) (Takeaway), St Margaret’s Road, Finglas, Dublin 11
- Noor Halal (Butcher Shop), 10 Church Street, Dundalk, Louth
Three Prohibition Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:
- Kerala Royal Caters (Service Sector), Unit 27C, Ashbourne Business Centre, Ballybin Road, Ashbourne, Meath
- Houda Foods (Wholesaler/ Distributor), Unit 5, Ballinlough Business Park, Ballinlough, Roscommon
- Domestic Kitchen at East Road, East Wall, Dublin 3
Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in May include: an unregistered business operating in a shed building where the other half of the shed was a working car workshop; an identification mark belonging to an approved establishment was unlawfully used on food products that had been produced in an unapproved domestic kitchen; inadequate pest control measures; presence of rodent droppings and dead insects in food handling and storage areas; visible mouse droppings; no food safety management system in place; food stored at incorrect temperatures in a container on the grass for an unknown period of time; inadequate hygiene, cleaning, and sanitation practices, including lack of hot water, hand soap, and lack of handwashing during food preparation; black grime, food debris and grease on all floors under the sinks, and oil under the counters and fryers; grease residue dripping on to the floor next to the grease trap area, from a large utensil used for food; lack of labelling, traceability, and supplier documentation for food products.
Mr Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, warned that every food business must be registered with a competent authority and that all food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure the food they sell is safe to eat.
“The high number of Enforcement Orders in May is disappointing, especially as the type of non-compliances, such as unclean premises and pest infestations, are all preventable where the business has a food safety management system in place and staff are properly trained.
“Additionally, while the vast majority of food businesses comply with their legal requirement to register their business prior to operating, unfortunately, some choose to operate without the knowledge or supervision of the competent authorities, potentially exposing consumers to unsafe or fraudulent food.
“These businesses will be pursued using the legal powers available to us. The FSAI website has a wealth of free information for any food business to access if they need help.
“We also have a free Learning Portal to assist in building compliance by food businesses and it includes eLearning modules, webinars, short videos, and explanatory materials covering a broad range of relevant food safety topics,” said Mr Dempsey.
Also, during the month of April a Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- La Citadel, Glebe House, River Mall, Main Street, Swords, County Dublin
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.