FIVE CLOSURE ORDERS were served on food businesses over the course of February for breaches of food safety legislation.

The closure orders were issued by environmental health officers in the HSE and were served for:

• Curry Hut & Indian Kebab House (restaurant), 6 Lower Cork Street, Mitchelstown, Cork
• VF Foods (cold store) (Closed area: Room 1 of the building), Jamestown Business Park, Jamestown Road, Finglas, Dublin 11
• Shanghai House (restaurant), 13 Upper Cork Street, Mitchelstown, Cork
• Yu Garden Chinese (restaurant), Bridge Street, Strokestown, Roscommon
• Huahong (restaurant), Carrig House, Old Waterpark, Carrigaline, Cork.

The closure orders have been lifted for all of the store but VF Foods, which had one room of the building shut down. Businesses can have the orders lifted once they have satisfied officers they have rectified the problem.

One prohibition order was also issued in February by a local authority veterinary inspectors in Louth County Council at Arcross Foods in Blackrock. This was lifted the next day.

Dr Bernard Hegarty, Director of Service Contracts at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said the onus is on businesses to ensure the food they serve is safe to eat.

“This requires ongoing compliance with food safety and hygiene legislation and there is absolutely no excuse for negligent practices.  All food businesses must have a food safety management system in place that is consulted and updated on a regular basis, in order to avoid non-compliance issues and breaches of food safety legislation.”

Read: Feel like chicken tonight? Don’t ruin your weekend by cooking it the wrong way>

Read: Now Tesco has recalled one of its products because of nut worries>