TWO TAKE-AWAYS and one restaurant were among five food establishments served closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in January.

The chief executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne, said that these were the latest examples of a number of businesses “acting carelessly and potentially putting consumers at risk”.

Three closure orders were issued under the FSAI act, 1998, which is served when it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at the premises, or when an improvement order is not complied with.

The three places issued with closure orders under this act were:

• Hot Spot, Parnell Street, Limerick
• Polonez, 20 Moore Street, Dublin 1
• Pacinos Restaurant, 18 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2

In a statement to TheJournal.ie, the proprietor of Pacinos said that the restaurant takes food safety “extremely seriously” and that the order was served to “facilitate immediate upgrades” to the rear doors of the establishment.

He said that the restaurant had been using the area to the back of the restaurant as a social space, using it as a smoking area and as a laneway for customers to enter, but the doors had become damaged with one needing to be replaced.

He added that the laneway had been kept in good condition for their customers, but said the onus fell on Dublin City Council to ensure that the lane is maintained properly.

A spokesperson for the FSAI said that they do not comment on the details of individual cases.

Two other closure orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010. Under this legislation, closure orders are served when there is a non-compliance with food legislation.

The two were:

• Beachview Tandoori, Strand Road, Laytown, Co Meath
• Kavanaghs Fine Foods Cork Ltd, 9 Pearse Street, Ballyphehane, Cork.

Dr Byrne added: “The vast majority of Irish food businesses are aware of the importance of food safety requirements and are complying with food safety legislation.

“However, there are a number of businesses acting carelessly and potentially putting consumer’s health at risk.

All food businesses must take responsibility and recognise that the legal onus is on them to make sure that the food they sell or serve is safe to eat.

Read: A Roscommon takeaway and bakery were both served with closure orders last month

Read: These 11 food businesses were closed last month>