The number of enforcement orders issued by the food watchdog in 2019 rose 13% on the previous 12 months - meaning last year was the second consecutive year in which there was an increase in such orders.

An iconic Cork restaurant was one of a record 23 food outlets forced to close in November over hygiene concerns.

It is the highest number of Enforcement Orders in one month since the legislation was introduced in 1998.

Issues included dead rats in a dry goods storeroom, rodent paw marks on dusty shelves and gnaw marks on coffee bean bags.

A targeted audit of sushi restaurants, takeaways and producers has found that 90% do not have adequate controls in place to safeguard human health.

Almost three-quarters of Irish food businesses say food produced in Ireland is safer than it was five years ago.

Food allergens and ingredients labelling is the number one concern for Irish food businesses.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said 11 closure orders were issued to food businesses in June.

The FSAI listed a variety of reasons for non-compliance with food safety laws, including evidence of rodent droppings in kitchen, bar and carvery areas and meat being cut in a room adjacent to the toilets

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that six Closure Orders and one Improvement Order were served on food businesses during the month of April.

Three establishments in Dublin, three in Galway and one in Cork were ordered to close.

There has been a 300% increase in the number of food supplements notified to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in the last 10 years — from 700 in 2007 to over 2,500 last year.

A range of food supplements widely available online, in sports nutrition shops, and gyms have been found to be unfit for human consumption.

The food safety watchdog has found online retailers including Irish websites offering banned foods and supplements for sale in Ireland, in a European-wide crackdown on unauthorised products.

Hundreds of horrified diners were served up unwanted extras last year, reporting finds of everything from maggots to teeth in meals bought from food outlets.

A live rodent in an open wall cavity, rodent droppings under a pizza oven, and human excrement overflowing from a workers’ toilet were just some of the reasons that health inspectors closed a number of food businesses in January.

Ireland experienced its highest rate of food recalls or withdrawals in a decade last year, with salmonella bacteria in soups and an amphetamine-like substance in a diet food supplement among some of the causes.

A live insect in a dessert, a human nail in a takeaway meal, and a cigarette butt in a bag of chips were among thousands of complaints made by the public to the Food Safety Authority.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has revealed that 106 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation in 2016.

New guidelines have been issued to food producers to ensure consumers are not misled by labels like ‘artisan’, ‘farmhouse’, ‘traditional’ and ‘natural’.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) served 13 Enforcement Orders on food businesses in September.

With hepatitis, e-coli, listeria, and other foodborne illnesses increasing across Europe, fresh produce has been identified as a potential source of food poisoning.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued 12 Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order on food businesses in July.

The Food Safety Authority said there was no justification for businesses to be in breach of the food safety legislation, after 11 enforcement orders were served last month on hotels, restaurants, takeaway and wholesale providers.

Due to health concerns, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is advising consumers to avoid over-fried and dark-roasted foods.

Two burrito bars were among six food businesses to be served closure orders last month, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

Bacteria that are resistant to medicines are being passed into humans from the food chain, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has warned.

Seventeen food safety enforcement orders were issued to businesses last month, more than double the July 2014 figure.

THE recent BSE scare underlined once again the importance of the Irish food and agriculture industry, and how a significant part of the nation’s economy can become affected by an unexpected circumstance.

THE village of Grangecon in Co Wicklow could grace a postcard, but the scenes of grief and shock there yesterday were more suited to a TV series.