Two Dublin food businesses were among seven premises served with Closure Orders by food safety inspectors during May, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) following inspections that identified breaches of food safety legislation.
In Dublin, a Closure Order was served on Sheela Palace restaurant at the Liffey Valley Complex in Clondalkin, while a separate order was issued to Hole in the Wall Pub on Blackhorse Avenue in Cabra.
The Closure Order affecting Hole in the Wall Pub related to the storage of food and food contact materials in all first-floor storerooms, as well as the preparation and service of food from the ground-floor kitchen.
The Dublin businesses were among seven food premises across the country subject to enforcement action during May.
Elsewhere, a Closure Order was served on a prefab food storage unit at Mace on the Slane Road in Navan, Co Meath.
Further orders were issued to a table serving food at Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Shapla Indian Spice in Carlow town, Captain’s Catch takeaway on Parnell Street in Limerick, and Jilly & Joe’s restaurant at Dove Hill Centre in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.
According to the FSAI, inspectors identified a range of food safety concerns during inspections.
Among the issues cited were evidence of rodent activity, including a rat carcass found near a kitchen area and rodent droppings behind panelling, the accumulation of waste beside premises, inadequate cleaning of equipment and food preparation areas, and failures in food cooling procedures.
Inspectors also reported unsafe food handling practices, including the handling of raw chicken and ready-to-eat foods without appropriate hand washing or glove changes.
Other issues included staff not wearing personal protective equipment, a lack of anti-bacterial soap for hand washing, dirty food preparation counters, inappropriate storage of cooked chicken, and animal hair being found on food contact packaging.
Commenting on the enforcement actions, FSAI Chief Executive Greg Dempsey said: “The types of issues identified in a number of these Enforcement Orders are concerning and point to clear failures in basic food safety controls.
“We continue to see lapses in hygiene, cleaning and safe food handling practices, alongside evidence of pest activity in some food premises.
“These are fundamental requirements that every food business is legally obliged to meet.
“Food safety management systems are not optional; they must be properly implemented, maintained and monitored in practice.
“Where these basic standards are not met, there is a risk to public health and appropriate enforcement action will continue to be taken where necessary.”
The FSAI said details of all food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on its website. Closure Orders remain listed in enforcement reports for three months after a premises has been judged to have corrected the food safety issue.