The Food Safety Authority of Ireland served closure orders on three food premises during May.
In its monthly report the FSAI said closure orders were served by environmental health officers in the Northern Area Health Board on Any Other Restaurant, 22 Moore Street, Dublin 1, and in the South Western Area Health Board on the kitchen and associated facilities of Trio Bars Ltd, in The Earl of Kildare Hotel, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Officers from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources served a partial closure order and a prohibition order on Union Hall Smoked Fish Ltd, Skibbereen, Co Cork.
The prohibition order prohibited the sale of salted white fish, farmed salmon fillets and smoked salmon sides from the premises.
An improvement order was served in the South Western Area Health Board on The Killashee House Hotel, Killashee, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co Kildare.
Mr Peter Whelan, the FSAI's director of service contracts, said the least consumers could expect was that businesses complied with the law.
"Closure orders are only served when enforcement officers have evidence of serious infringements and where standards have fallen so low that consumer health has been put at risk. Food businesses should not allow their premises to deteriorate to such a degree as to require inspectors to use their legal powers to ensure consumer health is protected," he said.
It was the best interest of food businesses to protect their customers' health, he said. In addition to making their customers ill, food businesses disregarding the law attracted adverse publicity damaged consumer confidence in the safety of food, he said.
A closure order is served where it is deemed there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health.
An improvement order may be issued by the District Court if an improvement notice is not complied with within a defined period. Further non-compliance can result in a closure order.
An improvement notice is served when it is deemed that any activity involving the handling of food or the condition of a premises will or is likely to pose a risk to public health.
A prohibition order is issued if the activities involve or are likely to involve a serious risk to public health from a particular product, class, batch or item of food.
The effect is to prohibit the sale of the product temporarily or permanently.