Seven food businesses were closed across the country last month for breaches of food safety legislation, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has confirmed.
Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, stated that there is absolutely no excuse for food businesses to put consumers' health at risk through negligent practices.
“While most food businesses follow high standards and are compliant with food safety legislation, we continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is jeopardised through a failure to comply with food safety and hygiene requirements. These breaches are avoidable,” he said.
One restaurant and a take-away were served with closure orders under Irish legislation in March while three restaurants, a take-away and a butcher were served with closure orders under European regulations. In addition, one fish processor was served with a prohibition order by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.
Closure orders are issued if it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health or where an improvement order has not been complied with.
Prohibition orders are served if there is a serious risk to public health from a particular product or item of food.
The Shamrock Take Away, Barrack Street, Carlow and The Red Store Bar & Restaurant, Co Cork were each served with closure orders under the FSAI Act 1998.
The five businesses served with closure orders under European regulations were: The Halfway House (restaurant - kitchen only), Castlebar, Mayo; Ravi’s Kitchen (restaurant), Ballsbridge, Dublin; Mario’s Take Away, Mountrath, Laois; Country Meats (butcher), Lifford, Donegal and The Potato Market (restaurant), Crescent Quay, Wexford.
The prohibition order - issued if the handling, processing, disposal, manufacturing, storage, distribution or selling of food involves or is likely to involve a serious risk to public health - was served on fish processing business Shellfish de la Mer at Castletownbere, Cork.
A successful prosecution was carried out by the Health Service Executive against Pakway Distributors Limited, Ballycoolin, Dublin.
Prof Reilly said: “We’re urging food businesses to make sure that they have a food safety management system in place and that it is consulted on a regular basis and updated, where necessary, to ensure non-compliance issues and breaches of food safety legislation don’t occur. We would encourage any food business operator who is unsure of what is legally required of them to contact us.”
Closure orders and improvement orders remain listed on the FSAI website for three months from the date of when the business is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue. Prohibition orders are listed for a period of one month.
