THIRTEEN IRISH FOOD businesses received closure orders from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) after falling foul of food safety rules in November.
The authority revealed that 13 closure orders and one prohibition order were served against businesses that breached food safety legislation last month.
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 eight closure orders served under the FSAI Act were:
The closure order was brought after surfaces of refrigerators and freezers showed evidence of rust, mould and dirt, food stored in broken containers and cardboard boxes covered in grease and dirt.
There were no cleaning chemicals on site to effectively clean and disinfect the food contact equipment and surfaces within the food premises.
The order was made after rodent droppings were found on the premises.
Rodent droppings were evident in the kitchen on the floor, on shelving and in a container storing utensils.
The closure order was served over a failure by operators to ensure the layout of the food premises allowed for adequate maintenance and cleaning and prevent contamination.
Pest control procedures were inadequate as the premises was not pest proofed.
The order cited evidence of a cockroach infestation, with a number of cockroaches witnessed crawling in food storage areas, while dead cockoaches were spotted on glue boards in the kitchen.
Cockroach droppings [were found] throughout the premises, including food preparation areas and food storage areas.
Inspectors found evidence of a significant rodent infestation, including gnaw marks on the packaging of a loaf of bread.
Rodent droppings were noted on the lower shelf of the pre-packaged bread display unit on which foodstuffs were stored.
A spokeswoman for Tesco Ireland told TheJournal.ie that following the discovery, the company arranged for a pest control company to carry out a thorough inspection and the store reopened the following day.
“Tesco operates to the highest health and hygiene standards and regrets this issue arose and inconvenienced customers,” the spokeswoman added.
According to the report, inspectors found procedures in place to control pests were inadequate.
A significant number of rodent droppings and gnawed foodstuffs and packaging were observed in the shop, indicating a serious rodent infestation in the premises.
In their report, the FSAI’s inspectors said they found that adequate procedures to control pests were not in place.
A significant number of rodent droppings and gnawed foodstuffs and packaging were observed in the shop and store indicating a serious rodent infestation in the premises.
The report noted that food was not protected against contamination in a way that was safe for human consumption.
There is inadequate cold and hot running water supply throughout the premises, which is likely to lead to a grave and immediate danger to public health.
The five businesses served with closure orders under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations were:
According to the report, the business – which also had a prohibition order served against it under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010 – was stopped from manufacturing ready-to-eat products containing fresh basil.
The Food Business Operator did not provide evidence of sufficient hazard analysis relating to the intake of fresh basil produce from a third country and therefore accepted ingredients that might reasonably be expected to be contaminated with pathogenic organism.
The closure order said that a food safety management system was not implemented or maintained and that monitoring checks of food were properly not being carried out.
The food business operator failed to put in place a suitable system for manual wash-up of food contact equipment and utensils in the double deep sinks in the kitchen as there was no disinfection step.
The order was made after inspectors found safe food safety management procedures were not in place on the premises.
Cleaning procedures and records of cleaning were not available. Lack of effective cleaning was evident in the premises. A disused 10 litre paint bucket was being used for the storage of foodstuffs.
The FSAI report said adequate procedures to control pests were not in place, while the walls of the premises were in a stained and dirty condition.
There was no hot water provided to the premises. Soap and paper towels were not provided at the wash hand basins.
The inspection report found a build up of dirt and food debris on surfaces throughout the building, including walls, floors, equipment and the ceiling.
The uniforms that staff were wearing were filthy. There was also no hair covering being worn by staff members with long hair in the kitchen and food preparation areas.
Commenting today, FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said that food businesses needed to be extra vigilant during this time of year.
“All food businesses must ensure that they adhere to a high standard of food safety and hygiene at all times,” she said.
“It is also imperative that a proper pest control system is in place and that this is checked very regularly in order to avoid infestations of rodents and insects.”
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