Limerick take away served with closure order

THE FOOD Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported this Tuesday that eight closure orders were served on food businesses during the month of August - including one in county Limerick - for breaches of food safety legislation.

The closure orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE). 

Six closure orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. One was served on the Baalbec Take Away, Sarsfield Street, Kilmallock.

The closed area is the outdoor area used to accommodate the potato peeling and preparation. Closure orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities.

The order was served on August 21 and as of this Tuesday, September 10 has not been lifted, according to the FSAI.

The other five closure orders under EU regulations relate to: Letterkenny Kebab and Pizza/East Ocean (take away), 61 Port Road, Letterkenny, Donegal; Al Huda Grocery (retailer), 72A Summerhill, Dublin 1; Cafe India,16 Harbour Street, Tullamore, Offaly; Divine Catering (domestic kitchen), Farnamurry Close, Ballygraigue Road, Nenagh, Tipperary and Akanchawa Honey Pot (restaurant/café), Unit 39, Coolmine Industrial Estate, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Two closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Jazz Chinese Restaurant, Coolock Village Shopping Centre, Beechpark Avenue, Coolock, Dublin 5, and Freshly Chopped & Neat Pizza (Restaurant/Cafe), First Floor, 13-15 Main Street, Fairview, Dublin 3.

The FSAI said some of the reasons for the closure orders in August include evidence of ongoing rodent infestation with droppings found in kitchen area; failure to implement adequate pest control measures and dead cockroaches found in traps and flies in the deli area.

They also spoke of inadequate regular and thorough cleaning; uncovered bins filled with food waste; a build-up of dirt on used catering equipment and on the floor; a lack of basic hygiene provisions, such as hot water, soap, and drying facilities for staff; food not stored at correct temperature; a lack of food allergen information available for customers and failure to implement an appropriate food safety culture.

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Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive, FSAI, warned that there is a legal responsibility for food businesses to act responsibly and ensure the food they provide to their customers is safe to eat.

“Whilst most food businesses follow high food safety standards and are compliant with food law, inspectors continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is put at risk through a failure to comply with food safety and basic hygiene requirements. These non-compliances are avoidable, and we have zero tolerance for any food business that does not comply with its legal requirements. 

“Food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure the safe supply of food and it is unacceptable that basic procedures like handwashing, cleaning, robust pest control measures and storing food correctly at the appropriate temperature are not being properly followed. Food businesses must do better.”

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 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 from the date the Order was lifted.