Four Enforcement Orders served on food businesses last month

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

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers (EHOs) in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and sea-fisheries protection officers in the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

Three Closure Orders were served under European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Zing by Chaska (restaurant/café), 90-91 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1
• Fredis Pizzeria, Market Square, Bailieborough, Cavan
• New Victoria (take away), 51 Dorset Street Upper, Dublin 1

One Prohibition Order, which is under appeal, was served under the FSAI Act 1998 on:

• MFV Nausicaa DA63 (under appeal) (fishing vessel), County Dublin

Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in August include: frozen chicken was defrosted unsafely with the surface of the chicken warming to 12 degrees Celsius while the core of the chicken remained frozen; safe procedures for cooling hot food were not followed; temperature-sensitive ready-to-eat foods were consistently kept at temperatures likely to result in a risk to health e.g. pasta salad stored in chilled food display unit in the buffet had a temperature of 14.3 degrees Celsius; adequate procedures were not in place to control pests; a lack of evidence of proper hand-washing procedures; a broken water heater left the proprietor unable to adequately clean or disinfect working utensils and equipment; despite the presence of a copy of the FSAI’s Safe Catering Pack, there was no evidence to prove that procedures detailed within had been fully implemented and maintained.

Commenting on the Closure Orders served in August, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said that food businesses have no excuses for non-compliance with food safety legislation and that repeat offenders will not be tolerated.

“We sometimes see repeat offenders who have received Enforcement Orders before and this is a cause of concern. Food businesses need to learn from their mistakes and ensure that they do not fall short of their legal requirements. Non-compliance by food businesses will not be tolerated and all breaches of food safety legislation will be dealt with to the full extent of the law. This reflects poorly on the entire food industry and can discourage consumer confidence. Food businesses have a clear duty to consumers and themselves – food safety is paramount, and it is unacceptable that basic procedures like handwashing and storing food at the correct temperature are not properly followed.”

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.