FOUR FOOD BUSINESSES received closure orders for breaches of food safety rules last month.

Some of the reasons the businesses were forced to close their doors included failure to adequately segregate raw and cooked food, transporting waste materials in the same vehicle as cooked and raw food and poor cleaning throughout the premises.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported that four businesses were served enforcement orders in August.

The closure orders were served on:

• Riverview Takeaway, Molloys Building, Merchants Quay, Drogheda, Louth

The closure order was served due to the handling of raw kebab meat and raw chicken. It stated that management and staff did not demonstrate sufficient knowledge to enable them to carry out their work activities in a safe and hygienic manner.

The lack of basic knowledge of the staff and lack of supervision of work practices poses or is likely to pose an unacceptable risk to consumer safety.

• Lotus (restaurant), 70 South Main Street, Wexford 

The order was served for supplying food to another business and failing to transport it in a suitable manner. It stated:

Transport of food in domestic vehicles and failure to adequately pack and segregate raw and cooked food during transport and the transport of waste materials in the same vehicle may result in contamination of food and thereby pose a risk to public health.

• O’Brien’s (restaurant), Johnstown Village, Johnstown, Navan, Meath

The order was served because the private water supply to the premises is unfit for human consumption and poses a serious risk to public health.

“This closure order requires the food business to cease operating with the exception of the public bar area serving beverages in disposable containers,” it says.

All water incorporated into drinks or ice to be brought in from a potable supply.

• Pizza Point (takeaway), Main Street, Dunshaughlin, Meath

The order was served because there was no running hot water supply for cleaning hands, for washing food or for cleaning and disinfecting working utensils and equipment.

“The cleaning was poor throughout the premises, there no cleaning schedule and no disinfectant available at the time of inspection,” it reads.

Failure to maintain the premises in a hygienic condition may pose a risk of contamination of foodstuffs.

Commenting on today’s report, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI, said: “It is essential for food businesses to have a strong food safety culture in their business, which can be achieved through ongoing staff training.

Closure Orders are served on food businesses only when a risk to consumer health has been identified or where there are a number of ongoing breaches of food legislation, and that largely tends to relate to serious and grave hygiene or other operational issues.

“These Closure Orders indicate that not all food businesses are complying with the law and as a result, are potentially putting consumers’ health at serious risk.”