High Court orders closure of Limerick food business amid food safety concerns

A FOOD business in Limerick city has been ordered to close by the High Court after the premises continued operating despite being served with a closure order in July.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) says the closure order was issued to Mr Timothy Onwuegbusi, trading as Tim Nessa which is located at 2A John's Street, Limerick.

The FSAI says the premises, which had not been notified to the Health Service Executive, was ordered to close on July 8 after numerous issues were discovered during a routine inspection.

Several area of non-compliance were found during the inspection which resulted in the order of immediate closure being served.

Some of the non-compliances included:

* Decanting of food product was observed at the time of the inspection. Designated work space and surfaces are not available for the purpose of decanting food. This process is carried out on top of freezers used to store food at one end of the shop floor. The walls in this area are composed of exposed wood panelling. The layout, design and construction of the premises is not currently suitable for the handling of exposed food.

* A gap was present at the bottom of the rear external door.  

* At the time of the inspection food was being decanted on site. The only hand wash basin available on site is located in the staff sanitary accommodation. A separate designated hand wash basin was not provided for food handlers to wash hands during food handling activities.

* A build-up of food debris and residue was observed on all fridges and freezers.

* A build-up of dust was present on food packaging.

* The fridge and freezer temperatures were not monitored.

* Dead beetles were observed in the bottom of a container of packaged food displayed for sale. There is
currently no pest control system in place.

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In a report, published this Tuesday, the FSAI said it is aware that the food business -  Tim Nessa, 2A John’s Street, Limerick -  continued to trade despite the service by the HSE on July 8 2025 of a closure order pursuant to S.I. No. 79 of 2020.

As a result, and in accordance with the applicable legislation, the FSAI applied to the High Court for various orders including that the continuance of the food business operator be prohibited and that the food business premises should immediately close until it is notified in writing that contraventions in the closure order have been remedied or by further order of the High Court.

An order of the High Court was granted on an ex-parte basis in those terms on July 19 and the matter is due back before the High Court again on August 27 with the parties given liberty to apply to the High Court in the interim.

Both the FSAI and the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service say they will continue to monitor the food business to ensure it complies with the High Court order, the HSE’s closure order and the relevant food legislation.

You can find the full report here