LAST UPDATE | 8 Jun 2018

ELEVEN FOOD BUSINESS received closure orders last month.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the 11 closure orders and one prohibition order were served for breaches of food safety legislation.

The orders were brought under the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 and issued by environmental health officers in the HSE.

The three closure orders that were served under the FSAI Act were:

D&G’s Takeaway, No. 5 Potato Market, Carlow. The report stated that there was evidence of a cockroach infestation.

Evidence of significant cockroach infestation found in main food preparation area.

Sweetness Luxury Homemade Desserts, Ardcavan, Wexford. The order noted dead mice and mice droppings on the premises.

There were nine dead mice found in the production area and associated stores directly off the production area.

The report also noted that there was “prolific evidence of mice droppings observed in the premises” and that the was a “grave and immediate danger to public health and the potential risk of contamination of foods and equipment”.

Golden Beach Supermarket, 137 Parnell Street, Dublin 1

The report noted that stock equipment and miscellaneous items were stored in a such a manner that it made pest detection virtually impossible.

Another eight closure orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010. They were:

Addison Lodge, 131 Botanic Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9

The enforcement order made reference to dead and live insects and flies.

“Dead and live crawling insects for example earwigs, woodlice and spiders were found on the premises posing a risk to food safety as insects can transmit disease. Live flies were noted throughout the premises and the windows were left open.”

Salthill Social (restaurant), 14 Lenaboy Gardens, Salthill, Galway

The main points in this report were about lack of staff training and food storage issues.

“There was no evidence that a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP was in operation. Critical control points have not been identified and controls have not been put in place to prevent, eliminate or reduce hazards, which may lead to a risk of unsafe food being produced.”

Blackchurch Inn, Naas Road, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin

This closure order also made a note of staff not being adequately trained in food safety procedures and said that the kitchen was dirty.

“The kitchen in general was dirty, including floors, equipment, walls & ceiling. This consisted of heavy mould growth, grime, dripping grease, and chargrilled food debris.”

Derrynaflan Foods Ltd (wholesaler/distributor), CGI Foodpark, Knockgriffin, Midleton, Cork

This report said there was “no traceability of product” and this “may result in an inability to adequately withdrawal and recall product”.

“Numerous products were found to be past their use by dates. Some products were not date labelled. Some products were relabelled with inaccurate and misleading information and inaccurate batch codes.”

Lucky Dragon 2 (takeaway), 70 Fassaugh Avenue, Cabra, Dublin 7

The order found that “the design and layout of the premises did not permit good food hygiene practices” and that there was “no evidence that the food safety management system based on HACCP used in the premises was being implemented in practice”.

Rock Kebab and Pizza (restaurant), 101 Main Street, Cashel, Tipperary
Bella Roma (takeaway), 45 Ballybough Road, Dublin 3

The enforcement report  stated that the cleaning was extremely poor in a number of areas, there was no hot water at the wash hand basin in the cooking area and there was problems with food preparation. It stated that salads and vegetables were prepared at the burger/pizza making area.

It also noted issued with food storage, such as food being stored in open tins in the fridge and that there were no reheating procedures in place.

The retail butcher counter area at Zaiqa Foods (New Aroma Foods Ltd) Unit D 18, South Ring West Business Park, Tramore Road, Cork

The report said there was a significant number of mice droppings found “behind the skirting board and underneath the refrigerator display unit in the raw meat preparation area”. It also noted:

A large build-up of debris and mice droppings were present on the floor behind the staff lockers in the lobby.

One prohibition order was served to Golden Beach Supermarket, 137 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, under the FSAI Act.

Chief Executive of the FSAI Dr Pamela Byrne said:

It is extremely disappointing to see that May is the highest month so far this year for closure orders. There are simply no excuses for putting consumers’ health at risk through sub-standard food safety and hygiene practices.

“Summer is a busy time of year for food businesses and systems must be put in place to cope with the increase in customers and at a time when outside temperatures can be a lot higher. Food bacteria can multiply quickly in warm weather and food businesses must ensure food is stored at correct temperatures.

“It is also essential that all food businesses have the appropriate food safety management systems and procedures in place and that all staff are fully trained to ensure these systems and procedures are adhered to all times.”