Food sellers closed due to E.coli, rodents and mould
E.COLI, black mould and a dead rodent were among the reasons for nine closure orders and one prohibition order served on food businesses last month.
Closure orders from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) were served on the Super Asia Foods shop and the White Rabbit restaurant and café, both on Capel Street, Dublin 1, which were both found by inspectors to have an active rat infestation.
Another was served on the Il Capo takeaway on Dublin’s Talbot Street, which had substantial amounts of rodent droppings and a dead mouse.
Also issued with a closure order was the kitchen and storage area of the Cork Oriental Supermarket on Daltons Avenue, Cork, which also had rodent droppings and a dead rodent. Homesavers in the Mile Height Retail Park, Tralee, Co. Kerry, was ordered to cease the sale and processing of all food products after rodent droppings were found under shelving in the shop floor area.
Further closures were ordered for premises including the East Oriental Take Out on Ardee Street, Dublin 8, which had dirty food containers and equipment, and grease dripping down the canopy of an extraction hood.
Top Oil Gala’s food service area and deli on McKee Avenue, Finglas, Dublin, was found to have a significant risk of cross-contamination due to the condition of the staff toilet, with a water leak flowing into the food storage and preparation area and flooding a nearby carpet. In addition, sausages and breaded chicken goujons were stored at potentially harmful temperatures.
Dook’s Fine Foods restaurant and takeaway in Fethard, Co. Tipperary, had E.coli detected in foods, indicating faecal pathogens may also be present or that poor hygiene practices occurred. And Gianny’s takeaway in Edenderry,
Co. Offaly, had food debris and black mould found on surfaces.
A prohibition order was served on the Fish Seafood Deli at the Enterprise Park, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, banning it from selling a number of products, some of which were out of date while others were unlabelled.
Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said maintaining a clean premises was essential for every food business. ‘Consumers must be able to trust that the food they are being served is safe to eat and it is unacceptable that some food businesses fail to fulfil this duty,’ she said.
She said the FSAI had a free webinar on managing and monitoring pest control procedures in food businesses, which could be accessed on the FSAI website.
Last month also saw the FSAI take a prosecution in relation to Healing With Hemp, trading as Kama Hemp, in Clones, Co. Monaghan.
Catherine Mullaney, Marcus John McCabe and Kamaceuticals Limited were convicted on two counts of obstructing authorised officers of the HSE, with total fines of €3,000. Dr Byrne welcomed the ruling from Judge Raymond Finnegan in Monaghan District Court, saying it sends a ‘strong message to food businesses that obstructing an authorised officer will not be tolerated’.
‘Sends a strong message’