Inspectors shut Spar deli due to f ly infestation

FOOD inspectors shut the deli in a Spar shop in Dublin after finding ‘evidence of a large fly infestation in the deli area and throughout the shop’.

The latest Food Safety Authority report says of the Spar at Duff House, 13-15 Summerhill Parade, Dublin 3: ‘Flies were crawling on food contact equipment and on the sandwich preparation board. Dead flies were also noted on the floor beside the grease trap and in the food preparation sink.’

The order, enforced on July 23 last, is permanent until overturned by a court or lifted by the HSE.

An inspector found that ‘the fly infestation is potentially contaminating food and food contact surfaces with pathogenic bacteria, presenting a risk to food safety’.

The FSAI report found the extractor vent was not in working order, ‘resulting in highly elevated ambient temperatures... in the area’.

‘Discoloured, foul water was leaking from pipework at the greasetrap, resulting in a large pool forming in broken flooring and seeping along the deli wall behind the stainless steel units. A foul smell was evident in the area, in addition to flies both dead and alive,’ it said.

The report also found that there was ‘a significant build-up of food waste and other refuse in the deli area, awaiting disposal’, which was ‘potentially providing a food source for the flies observed in the area’.

Inspectors also shut the butcher counter of a small supermarket at the shopping centre on the Mountmellick Road in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The order was served on Muhammad Asif at the Universal Food Store, which sells Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Oriental food. The floor inside the rear door was found to be ‘filthy’.

‘A dirty mop was left sitting in a bucket which contained very dirty water. The internal door was dirty. The door saddle, which had been painted white, was filthy and engrained with food particles along the edges. Numerous flies were noted in this area, both flying and on surfaces,’ the report said.

There were flies ‘everywhere’ in the wash-up section. The report added: ‘The electric fly killer overhead was not working, nor was the electric fly killer in the shop section. The floor of the wash-up area was dirty, especially around the wall/floor junctions. The sink and taps were dirty. The floor beneath the stainless steel sink unit was filthy.’ It noted two aprons hanging on the back of the internal door at the rear entrance lobby that were caked with blood and dirt. The food worker present was seen taking out meat to set up the butcher counter without washing his hands or wearing a hair covering.

Other closure orders included The

‘Aprons caked with blood and dirt’

King Pig Food Stall, Cashel Avenue, Crumlin, Dublin; Monto’s Restaurant, Main Street, Kilmessan, Co. Meath; Riverside Café, Mountnugent, Co. Cavan; Eskimo Pizza and Lam’s, Deansgrange, Co. Dublin; Fredis Pizzeria, Dublin Street, Monaghan, and Fredis Takeaway, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan; the kitchen of the Burren Atlantic Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare; and Joud World Food, a retailer at O’Connell Street, Waterford.