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Food News

10th Feb 2020

Evidence of rodent activity among reasons for closure of five Irish food businesses last month

Darragh Murphy

Closure orders

Five Irish food businesses were issued closure orders in January.

The five businesses that were served closure orders last month under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1998 were located in Cork, Waterford, Louth and Laois.

The reasons for the various closures have now been published by the FSAI and can be seen below.

The Exchange Bar in Waterford was served a closure order on January 3 after evidence of rodent activity was discovered in the bar area. The closure order was lifted on January 7.

The African Shop/Costello Stores on Cork’s Shandon Street was issued a closure order on January 15 due to issues regarding the structural maintenance of equipment as well as a build-up of congealed blood and debris in freezers. This order was lifted on February 5.

Mr Kebab on Cork’s Lower Glanmire Road received a closure order on January 15 due to cleaning and sanitation issues, structural problems and lack of an instant hot water supply. This order remains in place at the time of writing.

An area of Bellurgan Service Station in Louth (T/A Londis) was served a closure order on January 22 due to the evidence of rodent activity in an external building comprising of a walk-in cold room, walk-in freezer and three storage areas. This order was lifted on January 27.

Oriental City and Noodle House in Laois was issued a closure order on January 30 due to cleanliness issues and a failure to ensure adequate pest control. This closure order was lifted on February 3.

“The Enforcement Orders in the first month of the year have demonstrated that inadequate hygiene practices are continuing to put consumers at unnecessary risk of falling ill,” said Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI.

“If you are a food business owner, it is your responsibility to comply with the law and implement adequate food safety and hygiene standards as a core part of your business. Food legislation is primarily set to protect consumers from a variety of threats such as pest infestation and food contamination by dangerous bacteria.

“There is no justification for any food business to not fully implement all applicable food legislation. It is wholly unacceptable that there continues to be some food businesses who are failing to have the right food safety management systems in place to ensure the food they serve to their customers is safe to eat.”

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