Duck spring rolls had the food safety watchdog hot and bothered
UNDERCOOKED duck spring rolls served at a well-known Chinese restaurant in Dublin city centre had the food safety watchdog spitting feathers.
The appetiser was off the menu at Xi’an Street Food on South Anne Street for three days following two inspections by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
On September 11 of this year, an inspector observed that the core temperature of the restaurant’s homemade duck spring rolls displayed uneven heat distribution, resulting in cool pockets in their core. Further investigation revealed that when the duck meat was probed, it registered at 56C as opposed to the correct temperature of 75C. After asking the chefs to review their cooking times, the FSAI made another visit on September 29 to see if their guidelines were observed, but found the duck spring rolls were still undercooked.
As a result, the restaurant was ordered to cease cooking the dish from September 29 to October 2.
In its letter, the FSAI stated: ‘While cooking times were reviewed by the business since the non-compliance of inadequate cooking of duck spring rolls was initially observed on September 11, 2023, valid cooking time/temperatures have not been demonstrated based on my temperature checks.’
It added: ‘Considering the challenges of achieving consistent cooking temperatures, the activity of cooking duck spring rolls is to cease. The product recipe and cooking procedure must be reviewed to ensure consistent cooking temperatures as per your critical cooking limit of 75C.’ Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, a manager at Xi’an Street Food confirmed its duck spring rolls are being probed regularly and insisted that they’re being cooked correctly.
Another food business censured by the FSAI in September was Paul Tobin Butchers in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. On September 5, an FSAI inspector observed a significant build-up of food debris, spillages and engrained dirt on the floor in the cooked/ready-to-eat foods preparation area. An accumulation of cobwebs was also observed on the racking below the oven. The floor and skirting boards beneath the sinks in the equipment wash room were found to be unclean, while the butcher shop’s layout and size ‘does not permit adequate separation between raw and ready-to-eat food handling operations’.
As a result, management were required to cease the production and processing of all cooked and ready-to-eat food on the premises.
The closure order on this activity was put in place from September 5 to 11. Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, said: ‘Consumers have a right to safe food.
‘Under food law, it is the legal responsibility of food businesses to ensure that the food they sell to the consumer is safe to eat. All food businesses must establish and regularly review a food safety management system to prevent instances of non-compliance and violations of food safety regulations such as these, which are only imposed when a significant risk to consumer health has been identified or when there are persistent, severe violations of food regulations.’
‘Cooking procedure must be reviewed’