Ten food businesses were served with closure orders last month over concerns about health and safety.
The notices are issued by HSE officers when it is deemed that there is, or there is likely to be, a grave and immediate danger to public health at a food outlet.
Six closure orders were handed under the FSAI Act 1998 to:
- Starbucks, 21 Great Georges Street, Waterford
- Ruby King, Unit 5, West Business Park, Circular Road, Roscommon
- Akanchawa's Honey Pot, 40 Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7
- Fernhill Golf and Country Club, Fernhill, Carrigaline, Cork (closed area: restaurant and associated kitchen facilities within the club)
- Hannon’s Oakwood Hotel, Athlone Road, Roscommon (closed area: kitchen area and all food service)
- Get Fresh Catering, Castlerea Community School, Castlerea, Roscommon
Four orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010 on:
- Ashford Oriental, Main Street, Ashford, Wicklow
- Hairy Ned’s Pub and Shop, Crosskeys, Cavan (closed activity: shop deli and all food preparation areas)
- Big Bites, Castle Street, Roscommon
- Fitto Café, 12/13 Catherine Street, Limerick
All but one of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) orders have since been lifted.
Dr Pamela Byrne of the FSAI said such action is never taken for minor safety safety breaches.
Orders are served only when a serious risk to consumer health has been identified, or when there have been ongoing breaches of food legislation, she said.
"There can be no excuse for putting consumers’ health at risk through negligent practices.
"Food businesses have a legal onus to make sure that the food they sell or serve is safe to eat."
Closure orders may refer to the banning of activity in all or part of a food business. Full details of the latest notices are available on fsai.ie.
There was, however, a small formatting error on the FSAI's website, which accidentally suggested that the entirety of Roscommon had been served with a closure order...
Bad day for Roscommon. Closed. Sad state of affairs lads. pic.twitter.com/ZLF0fSbdn9
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) October 6, 2016