Iceland closure report is released
A REPORT released by the FSAI has found there was ‘prolific evidence of rodent droppings’ in and below packets of biscuits and crisps in the Iceland Gorey store. The HSE ordered the closure of the store on November 15. It reopened on November 27 after a thorough clean and repair works. Iceland said it followed ‘best practice protocols’ in dealing with the report.
‘PROLIFIC evidence of rodent droppings’ was found in and below biscuits and multi-packs of crisps in the Iceland supermarket in Gorey, a new report has revealed.
Further details on the reasons for the temporary closure of the Iceland store in Gorey last month were released by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland last week.
An environmental health officer with the HSE issued an enforcement order for the closure of the store from Wednesday, November 15 for breaches of food safety legislation. It reopened on Monday, November 27.
The report found that there was ‘prolific evidence of rodent droppings observed on and below shelving where foodstuffs, i.e. crisps and biscuits, were stored in the shop floor area.’
It also said ‘there was evidence of gnawing to the packaging of numerous multi-pack packets of crisps on the shelving for sale in the shop floor area. Pieces of gnawed crisps packaging were observed amongst rodent droppings on the shelving in the shop floor area.’
‘There was evidence of gnawing to numerous individual packets of crisps within multi-packs of crisps for sale,’ it added. ‘Upon further examination, rodent droppings were observed within the packaging of the multi-packs of crisps and within the individual packets of crisps in the multi-packs.’
The inspector concluded that these ‘non-compliances presented a grave and immediate danger to public health and the risk of contamination of foods with pathogenic bacteria and foreign matter.
‘These non-compliances were likely to render food unfit for human consumption, injurious to health or contaminated in such a way that it would be unreasonable to expect it to be consumed in that state.’
The FSAI said that three closure orders were served nationwide in November on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation. Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said that food businesses must prioritise food safety in their businesses, particularly in the lead up to Christmas.
‘The three closure orders in November cited inadequate procedures in pest control which resulted in evidence of rodents in all three premises,’ she said. ‘This is not acceptable in any food business at any time, as it poses a serious risk to public health. Food businesses need to ensure that their premises has the right food safety management procedures in place to ensure pest control at all times’. Iceland has said it ‘prides itself on bringing customers the very highest standards’, and said repair works have been carried out at the store. It apologised to customers.
It said the rodents referred to in the report were mice, and that the company had followed all its ‘best practice protocols’ in dealing with the report, and that a ‘thorough deep clean of the store’ had been carried out. Managing director Ron Metcalfe said the 27 staff do great work every day, and that Iceland is fully committed to Gorey.