THREE FOOD BUSINESSES have been served with closure orders in April by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). 

The closures were issues for businesses in Limerick, Tipperary and Meath and they concerned issues such as lack of hot water and unclean food preparation areas.

The closure orders were served on: 

• Little Neros (restaurant/café), The Square, Abbeyfeale, Limerick

• Meaghers Daybreak* (service sector), Kerry Street, Fethard, Tipperary (*the deli area and a refrigerated display unit were shut)

• Vicos Grill (take away), 1 Ludlow Street, Navan, Meath

Little Neros was found not to have hot water from the wash basins and had issues with electricity at the premises. 

According to the FSAI inspector, “the electricity was not working as the generator used to provide electricity to the premises had run out of fuel at the time of inspection”. 

The inspector said there was a high risk that food was stored at unsafe temperatures.

At Meaghers Daybreak, the deli area was ordered to shut after it was found to be unclean by an FSAI inspector. 

For example, the “floor and floor-to-wall junctions beneath equipment in the deli were unclean” and there was a “significant accumulation of food debris, dirt and cobwebs”. 

The open refrigerated display unit in the middle of the retail area for foods requiring refrigerated storage was also shut due to the “failure to maintain the cold-chain”. 

The FSAI found that “high-risk, ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat foods”, such as sandwiches and fresh cream, “were being held at potentially unsafe temperatures between 6.8o degrees and 12.2o degrees” in the fridge. 

The sale of all other foods from the rest of retail store were not affected by the closure order of these two areas. 

The closure order of Vicos Grill was ordered after FSAI inspectors found the “premises was not maintained in a clean and hygienic condition at the time of the inspection”. 

Equipment and food contact surfaces were found to be dirty and greasy, with embedded food evident. 

It was found that “the poor standard of hygiene and cleanliness observed posed a risk of contamination to food prepared and stored on the premises”. 

It was also found that food handlers demonstrated poor food safety knowledge in relation to the storage, handling and production of food.

Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said that while the majority of food businesses comply with food safety legislation, there continues to be a number who fail to meet their legal requirements. 

“The enforcement orders served represent a clear disregard for compliance with food legislation which has been put in place to protect consumers. Consumers have a right to safe food,” Dr Byrne said.

“Maintaining a clean premises with constant and reliable access to hot water and electricity is a basic, legal and mandatory requirement of all food businesses,” she said. 

“Food businesses are also legally obliged to provide consumers with accurate written allergen information on all food, whether prepacked or not.”