17 enforcement orders is the highest in a single month to date in 2019.

Rodent paw marks on dusty shelves, gnaw marks on coffee bean bags and the discovery of two dead rats in a dry goods storeroom were amongst the reasons for the issuing of 17 enforcement orders to Irish food businesses during the month of October. According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), 14 closure orders, one improvement order and two prohibition orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010. The enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and veterinary inspectors in the local authorities. Also included amongst the reasons for the issuing of the enforcement orders was a lack of information provided by management in one premises regarding two complaints received about maggots in fish. Management could provide no information with regard to the traceability of the product or where the remainder of implicated fish had been disposed of. During the month of October, 14 closure orders were served in total; 10 under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010 on:

• Camden Rotisserie (under appeal), 37 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2 (Order served on 1 October, order lifted on 4 October)
• Gabriela's Tea Room (Closed activity: the manufacture of cakes and confectionery on the premises) Cavan Street, Oldcastle, Meath (Order served on 4 October)
• U Pick Store Unit 6, Westside Business Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway (Order served on 8 October, order lifted on 11 October)
• C&E (Closed activity: the sale and supply of fresh fish and crustaceans) 19 Catherine Street, Limerick (Order served on 17 October)
• Indian Moon, 3A West Douglas, Douglas, Cork (Order served on 17 October, order lifted on 22 October)
• Hot & Tasty Foodstall, Main Road, Ballyforan, Roscommon (Order served on 20 October)
• Cloncat Service Station (Closed Activity: Using water sourced from the private well supplying the business for 1. drinking; 2. making hot/cold drinks or ice; 3. food preparation i.e. washing, 4. as an ingredient in any food prepared on premises) Fordstown, Navan, Meath (Order served on 23 October)
• Celtic Pure, Corcreagh, Shercock, PO Monaghan (Order served on 23 October)
• Wisla Unit 2, Park Road Business Park, Park Road, Waterford (Order served on 24 October, order lifted on 31 October)
• Glyde Fries Takeaway, Main Street, Tallanstown, Louth (Order served on 25 October)

Four closures were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Instanbel Buffet House, 90-91 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 (Order served on 3 October, order lifted on 4 October)
• Euro Corner (Closed area: all of the business except [from 10 October 2019] the grocery in the front of the ground floor, for sales of pre-packed ambient foods only) 13 Broad Street, Waterford City, Waterford (Order served on 7 October, order lifted on 16 October)
• The Whole Hoggs, Rathmaiden, Slane, Meath (Order served on 16 October, order lifted on 22 October)
• NKD Pizza, 9 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6 (Order served on 22 October, order lifted on 24 October)

One Improvement Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Glyde Fries Takeaway (Take Away), Main Street, Tallanstown, Louth

One Prohibition Order was served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

• Celtic Pure Unlimited (Packaged Water), Corcreagh, Shercock PO, Monaghan

One Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Neree Mbala (Retailer), 10a Base Enterprise Centre, Damastown Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15

More details on the enforcement orders are available on the FSAI website here. Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI, reiterated the need for food businesses to have adequate pest control systems in place and added that businesses must operate strict food safety procedures at all times and that they need to be extra vigilant during this busy time of year. “17 enforcement orders in one month is the highest in a month to date this year and this is an unacceptable number,” Byrne said. “As in recent months, a high number of the enforcement orders were associated with issues related to pests and failures in basic staff training. These issues are all preventable and food businesses must ensure that they always adhere to a high standard of food safety and hygiene. It is imperative that a proper pest control system is in place and that this is checked very regularly in order to avoid infestations of rodents and insects. “With the busy Christmas period nearly upon us, food businesses must be especially vigilant to ensure compliance with the law and to protect the health of their customers. Special attention should be given to food safety training for both full and part-time staff to cope with any extra demand. “The FSAI provides advice if food businesses are unsure what their legal obligations are at www.fsai.ie or the FSAI Advice Line, info@fsai.ie.”