Louth 4th highest number of restaurant closures - FSAI

Louth had the fourth highest number of restaurant closures for hygiene reasons of any county in the country last year.

In total, three restaurants in the county were closed in 2017 with an average of nine days before the closure order was lifted by the FSAI.

The only counties with a higher number of closure orders last year were Dublin (17), Cork (7) and Donegal (6).

Four Closure Orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 including one on the China Town (take away), Main Street, Castlebellingham, Louth in December 2017.

Sixty nine Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses nationwide for breaches in food safety legislation in 2017, declining by over a third (35%) compared to 2016 (106).

The FSAI outlined the importance of robust food safety management procedures and stressed that the responsibility lies with food businesses to ensure that the food they sell is compliant with food safety legislation and is safe to eat.

Between 1st January and 31st December 2017, food inspectors served 64 Closure Orders, one Improvement Order and four Prohibition Orders on food businesses throughout the country.

The types of recurring food safety issues that lead to Enforcement Orders are: evidence of rodent infestation and rodent droppings; failure to maintain temperatures of foodstuffs; filthy conditions; unsuitable food storage facilities and improper or lack of water facilities.

In late 2017, the FSAI began publishing the full details of the Enforcement Orders which is in line with its objective to increase transparency as a regulator and to raise food safety and hygiene standards in food businesses.