Tipperary and Waterford food businesses among five closed for safety reasons last month

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI warned that there is "a legal responsibility for food businesses to act responsibly and ensure food they provide to customers is safe to eat." File Picture

Five Irish food businesses were served with closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last month. 

The FSAI has said there can be “no excuse” for behaviour in Irish food businesses which puts consumers’ health at risk.

Johnny’s Grub Hub, located in Pickardstown in Tramore, Co. Waterford, was served a closure order under the FSAI Act, 1998, after inspectors found cobwebs on the ceiling and "a layer of dirt" on the floor the food preparation and cooking area, adjacent to the food stall.

Inspectors said protective clothing for staff was stained and stored "unprotected in the open yard area" and that there were also stains found on the refrigerator and food preparation surfaces. 

They also noted that they found no handwash basin, with the required hot and cold taps, on-site. 

The Good Coffee Matters Food Stall, trading at Drumkeenan in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary was also served a closure order under the FSAI Act, 1998. 

Here, inspectors found was no running water to the building that contained the toilets, meaning the toilets could not be flushed.

The building which contained the toilet, in which some foodstuffs were stored, was noted as being "derelict" and in "an extremely dirty condition, evidenced by filth, grime and general waste throughout."

The FSAI said there was likely to be "a grave and immediate risk to the foodstuffs contained in this building being contaminated due to the lack of cleaning."

J2 Sushi & Bento in Swords, Dublin, was served with a closure order under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 after inspectors found that "there were no controls in place to control the risk associated with the storage, preparation and offering for sale of sushi and sashimi."

Under the same EU legislation, a closure order was served to Hempture and Hempland of 6, 6a, 7, 7a Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1.

The FSAI also issued one Prohibition Order under the FSAI Act 1998 to Heaney Meats in the Lisbon Industrial Estate in Galway. 

In this instance, the FSAI instructed that the catering company withdraw 40 specified items of meat and meat products on the premises from sale.

One of the products specified had been produced "from raw material which had passed its use-by date." 

The dates of freezing "could not be established and the use by dates had expired" on 34 other products.

The "traceability could not be established and there was no use-by date" on three more, and on the final three products, the dates of freezing could not be established.

"We are once again appealing to all food businesses to ensure they are fully compliant with food safety procedures and hygiene legislation," said Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI. 

Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the FSAI website for a period of three months from the date of when a premise is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.

Dr Byrne warned that there is a legal responsibility for food businesses to act responsibly and ensure food they provide to customers is safe to eat.

"Consumers have a right to safe food and in turn, food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure what they provide is safe to eat. All food business owners must ensure that their business is complying with food law at all times," she added.