Dead flies cited among eight closure orders on food outlets

EIGHT food outlets were served with closure orders last month by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

They included a bakery, a pub, cafés and various takeaway restaurants around the country.

The orders, which were for breaches of food safety legislation, were issued by environmental health officers working for the HSE.

One of the reasons for the enforcement orders in June included ‘a high volume of live and dead flies throughout the premises’.

Others included ‘no pest control procedures in place’ and ‘inadequate hand-washing facilities’.

FSAI chief Dr Pamela Byrne said: ‘We are now into our third week of exceptional weather and high temperatures. Every effort must be made to ensure high standards of hygiene and pest control remain in place and that foods are stored at appropriate temperatures.’

Among those served with closure orders last month was the chipper Little Italy, in Irish Street, Bunclody, Co. Wexford. It was closed from June 11 to June 15.

A member of staff told the Irish Daily Mail last night that someone had made a malicious call about seeing a rat on the premises.

And they pointed out that when an inspector eventually turned up, all they found was a dead fly.

The resulting report, however, noted: ‘Areas of the food premises were unclean and in a filthy condition. There was evidence of a high volume of live and dead flies throughout the premises.’

Details of the food businesses served with closures are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie.