The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that ten Closure Orders were served on food businesses during the month of September for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010. The Enforcement Orders were issued by the environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive.
Commenting today, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive said that the FSAI was now in a position to make available the full details of the Orders served on food businesses.
“The FSAI has been publishing the names of food businesses served Enforcement Orders for over a decade. Our systems and processes now enable us to provide additional information which is in line with our objective to increase transparency as a regulator and to raise food safety and hygiene standards in food businesses. Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses only when a serious risk to consumer health has been established or where there are a number of ongoing serious breaches of food legislation. We believe this initiative will help to dispel any misinformation regarding the reasons why Enforcement Orders are served and will also let other food businesses know some of the things to avoid in their premises.”
“There were ten Closure Orders served on food businesses in September and common non-compliance are filthy conditions and poor hygiene. Some of the specific reasons the Orders were served this month include evidence of rodent infestation; failure to maintain temperatures of foodstuffs; filthy conditions with aged dirt and debris; unsuitable food storage facilities; evidence of extensive cockroach infestation; and raw chicken stored on a dirty floor,” concludes Dr Byrne.