THE FOOD SAFETY Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said it is “very concerning” that it issued 16 enforcement orders on food businesses last month for breaches of food safety legislation.

Ten closure orders were issued under Ireland’s FSAI Act 1998 and a further six were issued under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020.

Eleven of the businesses were in Dublin, while the others were located in Cork, Tipperary and Limerick.

One prosecution was taken by the HSE in the month in relation to Cork Oriental Supermarket at 13 Dalton’s Avenue in Cork, which resulted in two separate fines of €4,000 and €3,000, respectively. 

The nine businesses served with a closure order under the FSAI Act 1998 were:

• Glens Takeaway and Diner, Cappaughna, Glengarriff, Cork
• Grace’s Garden (service sector), Dublin Road, Shankill, Dublin
• Koffee and Kale (restaurant/café), 21B Hill Street, Dublin 1
• Spar (closed area: deli area only), Unit 3, 111 Reubens Square, Dolphins Barn, Dublin 8
• Kimex Ireland Limited (small meat manufacturing plant), Unit 7, Golden Bridge Industrial Estate, Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8
• Osteria 99 Italian Cuisine (restaurant/café), 1st Floor, 99 Monkstown Road, Monkstown, Dublin
• Polonez (retailer), Unit 4, Walkinstown Retail Centre, Walkinstown Avenue, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.
• Café Sol, Cornelscourt Shopping Centre, Foxrock, Dublin 18
• That’s Amore (restaurant/café), 107 Monkstown Road, Monkstown, Co Dublin

The four businesses issued with closure orders under the EU (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020 were:

• Antonio’s (Take Away), 61a Ballybough Road, Dublin 3
• Red Robin Takeaway, River Street, Killenaule, Tipperary
• The Lord Lucan Pub, Finnstown Shopping Centre, Lock Road, Lucan, Co Dublin
• Coolmine Shawarma & Grilled (closed activity: storage, preparation, handling and cooking of raw meat at the premises) (take away), Unit 40B, Coolmine Industrial Estate, Porters Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

One business was issued an improvement order under the FSAI Act 1998:

• Sizzlers (Take Away), 41 William Street, Limerick

Another business was served with a prohibition order under the EU (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020:

• Hearty Sunshine (health food shop/pharmacy/sports nutrition), Unit 2A Block, Moore Street Mall, 55-66, Parnell Street, Dublin 1

Reasons for closures

There was a number of reasons the closure orders were issued, including a rodent running across a food storage room, a cockroach infestation, a dead bird present on the premises, and poor hygiene standards, among others.

According to the inspector’s report, Glens Takeaway and Diner had “no supply of hot water provided to the sinks in the kitchen for the purposes of cleaning and disinfecting equipment and utensils”. 

The report noted that equipment coming into contact with food “was not effectively cleaned or disinfected”, while work surfaces where food was being prepared and handled “were dirty”.

There was also “no hot water, no soap and no facilities provided for hand washing and drying at the wash hand basin in the kitchen”.

There was an “extensive and widespread rodent infestation” observed in Grace’s Garden, with the inspector noting droppings on the kitchen floor and on shelving in a food storage area. 

The inspector’s report for Koffee and Kale noted “an active cockroach infestation within the premises”, with activity observed “underneath the cold service display unit where open food, including sandwiches” were stored.

In Kimex Ireland Limited, an inspector observed rodent droppings near stored foods in parts of the ground floor warehouse area, a sack of rice in the ground floor warehouse area “showed evidence of rodent attack”.

A “large number” of rodent droppings were also observed in a dry foods storage and packing area, while “bird faeces, bird feathers and a dead bird” were found in a ground floor warehouse area. “Live and dead flies” were also observed in a meat cutting area. 

In Osteria 99 Italian Cuisine, rodent droppings were found in multiple locations including “on shelving adjacent to a meat slicer in the kitchen” and “in a cupboard underneath an equipment sink”.

“A complete lack of cleaning is evident in the premises,” the inspector’s report said, adding that old droppings had not been cleaned up.

Café Sol in Foxrock had “rodent droppings and a gnawed bag” on the floor behind a refrigerator in the front service area, while more droppings and “a gnawed chocolate bar” were found on the floor in the food storage room. 

The Lord Lucan Pub had “ongoing pest activity in the food area of the premises”, with a dead rodent being caught in a snap trap in the kitchen. 

Dr Pamela Byrne, FSAI chief executive, said that food businesses must ensure that their premises are fully pest proofed.

“Every food business must ensure that they have a robust pest control system in place and that the system is checked regularly. It is crucial that swift and effective action is taken at the first sign of an infestation,” Byrne said.

“Consumers have an absolute right to expect safe food. There is no room for excuses and adhering to food safety standards is a legal obligation for every food business.”