Six closure orders issued in December round off a poor year for food safety - 2014 saw 113 enforcement orders being served to food businesses for breaching food safety legislation.
The Hairy Lemon Pub in Dublin's city centre, Herterich and Sons Pork Butcher in Westport, Mary Merritt’s bakery in Dunmore East, and Redz Chinese Takeaway in Drogheda were all issued closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in December.
The FSAI has called on food businesses to act responsibly and ensure that the food they serve and sell is safe to eat - warning that "enforcement officers will not hold back in taking swift action against any food business that fails to meet its legal obligations in this area".
Chief Executive of the FSAI, Prof Alan Reilly commented on the end-of-year figures: “There can be no room for complacency when it comes to food safety. Every Enforcement Order is one too many and serves as a warning that food businesses need to be vigilant at all times to ensure full compliance with food regulations.”
Specific details regarding these closures are not available - information obtained under the Freedom of Information act in December revealed that some recent closures had involved the discovery of rats, mice, cockroaches and sewage in food storage and preparation areas.
Full details of closures issued in December:
Three Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Hairy Lemon (public house) (Closed area: Basement only), 41 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2
- Herterich & Sons Pork Butcher (cutting plant), Mill Street, Westport, Mayo
- Mary Merritt (bakery/confectionary), Kilmacombe, Dunmore East, Waterford
One Closure Order was served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:
- Redz Chinese Restaurant and Takeaway (Closed area: kitchen and service of food only) (public house), 79 West Street, Drogheda, Louth.
One Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:
- Belmont Organic Venison, Carrabawn, Westport, Mayo
One Prohibition Order was served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:
- L&M Store, 71 Anne Street, Dundalk, Louth
