Golf club in Waterford among 11 food businesses hit with enforcement orders 

Chief Executive for the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne said food businesses have a 'fundamental legal responsibility to ensure the food they produce is safe to eat'.

An active cockroach infestation, damp and mould growth, and visible rat droppings were among the reasons for enforcement orders being issued to food businesses last month.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued 11 enforcement orders on food business in January, including one in Waterford.

Five closure orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998. 

Lismore Golf Club in Co Waterford was served with a closure order after inspectors found a “visual sighting of rat droppings in a kitchen cupboard adjacent to a rat trap". 

They added that there was no bait on the trap and that it was surrounded by droppings. The club was served the order on January 20 and it was lifted on January 30.

Ella’s Heaven Café and Bakery on Talbot Street in Dublin was ordered to close after inspectors found an “active cockroach infestation within the premises”. 

A report read: “All stages of the lifecycle from nymph to adult was found in the food premises during the inspection”. 

It said live cockroaches were found in the kitchen as well as in traps alongside dead cockroaches.

Dead cockroaches were also found next to crockery and eggs from the insect were found on a shelf next to utensils where foodstuffs were prepared, stored and handled. The café was served with a closure order on January 15 and the order was lifted on January 22.

Three other businesses were hit with closure orders served under the FSAI Act, 1998. They were:

• Balam Limited, 114 Boyne Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11. The order was served on January 29;
• The Turk Grill, 23 Grattan Street, Sligo. The order was served on January 16 and lifted on January 31;
• Miner’s Rest Public House (Closed Area: The external drinks storage room), Ballingarry, Tipperary. The order was served on January 14 and lifted on January 17

Three closure orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

Indian Tiffins Limited on Upper Parnell Street, Dublin, was served with a closure order after inspectors found members of staff working on the premises not washing their hands between preparing and serving food.

The report also said: “We did not see either of them wash their hands between different duties, including handling waste.” 

Additionally, inspectors found that the food premises had “not been kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition".

The report said it found “significant evidence” of damp and mould growth in the basement, a layer of congealed dirt at the wall/floor junctions under the counters in the pot wash area and in the kitchen, and greasy deposits on the extraction canopy.

The order was lifted on January 30.

The other two business premises hit with closure orders under EU regulations were: 

• Xpress Pantry (Closed activities: Part of the activities of the business, its establishments, holdings, or other premises be ceased - The manufacture and wholesale of foods of animal origin and subsequently being placed on the market), Unit 9, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, Meath. The order was served on January 23;
• Bewley's Cafe (Closed activity: Part of the activities of its establishment be ceased, specifically the use of the vacuum packing machine), 78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. The order was served on January 8 and lifted on January 17.

Meanwhile, three prohibition orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on:

• Miner’s Rest Public House, Ballingarry, Tipperary 
• M Tee Ventures Unit 1, Glebeview House, River Mall, Main Street, Swords County Dublin 
• La Citadel, Unit 4, Glebeview House, River Mall, Swords Co Dublin 

Chief Executive for the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne said food businesses have a “fundamental legal responsibility to ensure the food they produce is safe to eat".

“The enforcement orders served in January highlight unacceptable breaches of food safety legislation, including inadequate pest control, poor hygiene standards, and a lack of proper food traceability,” she said.

“These non-compliances pose a serious risk to consumer health and also undermine confidence in the food industry.

“It is essential that all food businesses implement and maintain a robust food safety management system to prevent such violations. The law is clear, food safety is not optional, and food businesses that fail to comply will face enforcement action,” Dr Byrne added.