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

The closures concerned issues such as live rats seen on the premises, rat droppings found near food storage and evidence of pests gnawing foodstuffs and poor standards of basic hygiene in food preparation areas.

The closure orders were served on:

• Zing by Chaska, 90 – 91 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1
• Superfruit, The English Market, Cork
• Bamboo Foods Ltd, Station Roundabout, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny, Donegal
• Doson, 10 Dorset Street Lower, Dublin 1

Zing by Chaska was ordered to close after rodent droppings were seen on the floor near the food preparation area in the kitchen.

The inspector said that the kitchen was not pest-proofed and was “found to be in a filthy condition.”

There was a “serious risk of food being contaminated with pathogenic bacteria”, making it unsafe to eat, they added.

Superfruit at the English Market was told to close because of “extensive rodent droppings” on the shop floor and marks on a large amount of monkey nuts consistent with pest gnawing.

The evidence “presents a grave and immediate danger to public health,” the inspector said.

Bamboo Foods Ltd was issued a closure order due to a lack ofadequate pest control measures.

The inspector said “live rats were sighted” in the rear yard of the premises, as well as “fresh droppings”.

Because of this, there was a “serious risk” of food being contaminated with harmful bacteria, which would make it unfit for human consumption or injurious to human health.

Doson was ordered to close due to the “filthy condition” of the premises, as well as the “very poor standard of basic hygiene and cleanliness observed”.

The inspector reported that rat droppings were found in Doson’s food storage area in the basement.

They also noted the poor condition of the basement – the floor was “uneven and crumbling” and the wall was cracked with pieces missing.

Moreover, Doson’s food handlers “did not have adequate training in food hygiene and lacked knowledge of temperature control, pest control and cleaning,” the report said.

In a statement, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI said that that particular attention is needed to ensure food is stored correctly and safely, especially during summer months when temperatures are usually higher.

“These Closure Orders demonstrate the importance of regular and consistent checks by businesses to ensure safe food practices are in place and adhered to in the interest of protecting consumer health. It is disappointing to see a number of these enforcement orders relating to the presence of rodents on the premises.

“Ensuring food is free of contamination includes putting robust pest control systems in place and also training/supervising staff appropriately.

“It must also be noted that summer is a particularly busy time of year for many food businesses, and it is critical that businesses have the necessary systems in place to account for both the increase in customers and temperatures. Food bacteria can multiply quickly in warm weather and food businesses must ensure food is stored correctly.”