Douglas restaurant and Cork doughnut shop among 10 businesses hit with closure orders

Nationally, the FSAI issued a total of 10 closure orders in February.

FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said: 'Food safety is not a ‘nice to have’ in a food business. It’s a legal requirement and the law is there to protect consumer health.'

A restaurant in Cork was hit with a closure order last month over what the food safety watchdog said was "evidence of rodent infestation" deemed as likely to be a "serious risk of contamination to foodstuffs and hence a grave and immediate danger to public health".

It was one of 10 food businesses served closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in February.

The FSAI issued the closure order to Coriander Nepalese and Indian Restaurant in Douglas on February 19 under the FSAI Act, 1998.

On the date of the inspection, the FSAI inspector noted that "adequate pest control procedures were not in place" and that there were "significant rodent droppings present throughout the premises", including on shelves next to open food, areas where food was prepared and served, and near food contact materials.

The closure order was lifted on February 21.

Separately, a closure order under the same Act was issued to Offbeat Donuts on French Church Street in Cork on February 19. The order, which related only to the upstairs storage area of the premises, deemed it was "not adequately pest-proofed".

In the upstairs storage area, the FSAI inspector reported evidence of rodent droppings "around gaps at wall/floor junctions, and underneath windows on the opposite side of the room."

On the day of the inspection, the FSAI warned that the conditions in the upstairs storage area of the premises were likely to be "a grave and immediate danger to public health". The order was lifted on March 5.

Closure orders under the FSAI Act 1998 were also issued to:

• Lusk Chinese Take Away, Station Road, Lusk, Co Dublin on February 28. The order was lifted on March 1.
• Strudel Artisan Bakery, 105 Patrick Street, Dun Laoghaire on February 14. The order was lifted on February 19.
• And Amerta Chinese Restaurant, 1 Clifton Avenue, Monkstown, Co Dublin on February 7. The order was lifted on February 12.

Under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020, closure orders were also issued to:

• Hayashi, 3 JKL Street, Edenderry, Offaly on February 7. It was lifted on February 9.
• Pure Indulgence, Littlepace Shopping Centre, in Clonee, Dublin 15 on February 6. It was lifted on February 23.
• Hidden Dojo Asian Streetfood and Wakami Sushi & Asian - two businesses under the same premises at 47A Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7 - on February 8. The orders were lifted on February 12.
• And Shinu George, 8 Esker Avenue, Ardkeen Village, Waterford on February 7. The FSAI did not provide a date for the lifting of the order.

FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said: “Food safety is not a ‘nice to have’ in a food business. It’s a legal requirement and the law is there to protect consumer health. Consumers have a right to safe food and the food business owner is legally responsible for ensuring that the food they produce is safe to eat."

Dr Byrne added that maintaining a clean premises that is fit for purpose, managing pest control, properly labelling produce and providing traceability information are "mandatory legal requirements for all food businesses".

"By neglecting to uphold basic food safety and hygiene standards, a business not only jeopardises the health of its customers, but also risks damaging its own reputation as a trustworthy food business," she said. 

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