Ten closure orders and one prohibition order were served last month on Irish food businesses, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The actions were taken for breaches of the FSAI Act of 1998 and the European Commission’s  Official Control of Foodstuffs Regulations of 2010. The enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in FSAI’s  Health Service Executive (HSE). Closure orders served under the FSAI Act were for:

• The Millrace Hotel at Carrigduff, Bunclody, Wexford closed for all food preparation and service activities in and from the kitchen and ancillary stores and in the main bar and the store room at the rear of the main bar;
• Milebush Bar and Restaurant at Fairgreen, Mountmellick Road, Pokrtlaoise, Laois closed for preparation and service of food only; and
• Fryer’s at Patrick Street, Boyle, Roscommon closed for take aways.

Closure orders served under the EC’s Official Control of Foodstuffs Regulations of 2010 were for:

• Posh Nosh (restaurant) at Unit 4, Castlemill SC, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan, County Dublin.
• Craig’s Fresh (wholesale) at Drumnabratty, Raphoe, Donegal.
• Carpenters Butchers (closed for the cooking and handling of cooked chickens in the premises), at Farrell Street, Kells, Meath.
• Tamarind Thai Restaurant at Unit 3, 4 & 5 Carriage House, Matt Talbot Road,  and Tralee, Kerry.
• Indie at Home (take away) at Unit 3, North Street Business Park, Swords, County Dublin.
• La Boulangerie des Gourmets (bakery) at Unit 42, North Park, North Road, Finagles, Dublin 11.
• Beachview Tandoori (take away), Strand Road, Laytown, Meath.

The prohibition order was served under the EC Regulations of 2010 against Ahmed Foods (wholesale) at 114-115 Millennium Business Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. The HSE successfully prosecuted one case in March. It was against Kearney’s Castle Hotel, 18 Main Street, Cashel, Tipperary. Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said food businesses in Ireland need to be vigilant at all times in relation to food safety to ensure full compliance with food legislation. “Food safety is of paramount importance. Unfortunately, inspectors continue to encounter negligent food safety practices and non-compliance with food legislation,” Byrne said in the agency’s report. “There can be no justification for these breaches, which can potentially put consumers’ health at risk and undermine the confidence they should expect to have in the safety of the food they eat. This has serious negative implications not only for the individual businesses involved, but for the wider food industry.” Byrne urged food business owners and operators to take full advantage of the information and support provided by the inspectorate and the FSAI to ensure that they have the correct food safety management systems in place. Details of the food businesses served with enforcement orders are published on the FSAI’s website. Closure orders and improvement orders will remain listed on the website for three months from the date a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with prohibition orders being listed for a period of one month. Enforcement Order Reports (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)