23 Enforcement Orders issued on Irish food businesses last month

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that during the month of November, 21 Closure Orders, and 2 Prohibition Orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation.

These closures are pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and veterinary inspectors in the local authorities. This is the highest number of Enforcement Orders in one month since the legislation was introduced in 1998.

Eleven Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• New Century Chinese Takeaway, Riverstown, Dundalk, Louth
• Hui Kee (Take Away) (Closed area: Area to the rear of the premises housing coldroom), 52 Bulfin Road Inchicore, Dublin 8
• Vernon Catering (Packer) (Closed area: Packing area of open food in warehouse), Unit C104, Castleforbes Business Park, Sheriff Street Upper, East Wall, Dublin 1
• Sajna Exclusive Dining (Restaurant/ Café), 28/29 Bishop Street, Cobh, Cork
• Apache Pizza (Restaurant/ Café), 58 Dame Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
• Blackchurch Inn (Restaurant/ Café), Naas Road, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin
• Hilan Chinese and Korean BBQ Restaurant (Restaurant/ Café),45 Capel Street, Dublin 1
• The Kitchen (Restaurant/ Café), Emmet Street, Trim, Meath
• Roma Restaurant (Closed Area:- the external area to the rear and side of the premises used for food production and storage), Dundalk Street, Carlingford, Louth
• East Ocean (Take Away), 61 Port Road, Letterkenny, Donegal
• Elita Meats (Small Meat Manufacturing Plant), Unit D4, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, Meath

Ten Closure Orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

• Tony's Bistro (Restaurant/ Café), 69 North Main Street, Cork
• Capital Turkish Kebab House (Restaurant/ Café), 3 Eglington Street, Galway
• Ballyneety Pizza (Take Away), Ballyneety, Limerick
• Westmanstown Sports Centre (Restaurant/ Café), Westmanstown, Dublin 15
• The Blue Anchor (Restaurant/ Café), Bellurgan Point, Dundalk, Louth
• Tikka Asian Street Food (Restaurant/ Café), Schooner House, South Quay, Wicklow
• Salvetas Take Away and Café (Restaurant/ Café), 4A Church Street, Finglas, Dublin 11
• Khan Spices (Retailer), 84 North Main Street, Cork
• Maliks Tandoori Restaurant (Restaurant/ Café), 1 Lower Pearse Road, Sligo
• The Paragon (Public House) (Closed activity: all activities with the exception of service of hot and cold drinks and prepackaged ready to eat snacks), Main Street, Skibbereen, Cork

Two Prohibition Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Vernon Catering (Packer), Unit C104, Castleforbes Business Park, Sheriff Street Upper, East Wall, Dublin 1
• Elita Meats (Small Meat Manufacturing Plant), Unit D4, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, Meath

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in November include: Evidence of rats in a premises; a dead mouse was found in a trap in a kitchen; the presence of mouse droppings in bar area; substantial pigeon faeces present on the wash basin in a food packing area, paper towel dispenser, container of honey and shelving unit; a live rodent was observed running in the direction of the food storage and equipment washing area; evidence of cockroaches was found throughout a kitchen; dead cockroaches were found behind a service fridge, staff toilet, beside the grease trap and in a container holding bottles of sauces; raw chicken and raw chicken juices directly contaminating ready-to-eat foods; failure to comply with improvement notices; excessive build-up of dirt and food residue on wall and floor surfaces; a dishwasher had dirty water and a large accumulation of foodstuffs; the presence of cobwebs, spiders and insects such as woodlouse were present throughout a kitchen; the inside of an ice machine coated with a dried on grey/white substance; high levels of E. coli and coliforms were found in drinking water and ice samples taken from a premises; and raw sewage was found on the floor of a customer toilet.

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie. Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed 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.