Seven Closure Orders served on food businesses during March
Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue (Photo by Denitsa Kireva via Pexels)
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that seven Closure Orders were served on food businesses during the month of March for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The Closure Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and by officers of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
Among the reasons for the Enforcement Orders were food business not registered or approved by a competent authority were evidence of rodent infestation; a dead rat in a trap and rat droppings behind a washing machine; multiple fresh rodent droppings throughout kitchen area, wash-up area and cleaning equipment storage area; live mice in warehouse and an office; no hot water in wash hand basin provided for food handlers; food premises and food contact equipment not maintained in a clean condition; drain outside a kitchen completely blocked with foul wastewater and food debris overflowing throughout a yard; failure by staff to demonstrate any knowledge of food safety management procedures and no food allergen information available for customers.
Greg Dempsey, chief executive of the FSAI, stated that it is the legal requirement of all food businesses to ensure full and continuous compliance with food safety regulations.
“Enforcement Orders, particularly Closure Orders and Prohibition Orders, are only served where there is a serious and immediate risk to consumer health, or where there are persistent and significant breaches of food law, and not for minor infractions. In many of the Closure Orders issued this month, there was a clear absence of the most basic food safety procedures, alongside high levels of pest activity and poor hygiene standards. Staff working in food businesses must be trained and/or supervised, so that they can carry out their work in line with food safety requirements. There can be no excuse for putting consumers’ health at risk through negligent practices and failing to comply with the legal requirements. Food businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure the food they sell or serve is safe to eat,” said Dempsey.
Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website. Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.
