There has been a reduction in the number of breaches of food safety legislation, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) announced today.
The FSAI said it served 36 enforcement orders for breaches in food safety legislation in 2006, compared with 43 in 2005.
The authority said that despite the reduction in breaches, it was disappointed that the number of food businesses served with closure orders remained the same over the two years.
FSAI chief executive Dr John O'Brien said: "It is important to stress that closure orders are only served by enforcement officers when standards have fallen very low and the public's health has been put in danger.
"The same recurring, but easily preventable faults, continue to contribute to the closure of food businesses and this must be addressed by the industry."