EIGHT FOOD BUSINESSES were ordered to close after inspectors from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) found them in breach of food safety legislation last month.

According to the authority, reasons for the closures included evidence of fly and cockroach infestations and a bird being observed flying out of a kitchen during an inspection.

The orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive.

One closure order was served under the FSAI Act 1998 on Needs Asian Grocery, with an address at Unit 3 Closh Business Park, Staplestown Road, Co Carlow.

Seven more orders were served on premises under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

• Okra Green, 1 Island View, Howth, Co Dublin
• Govindas Restaurant, 83 Abbey Street Middle, Dublin 1
• Fresh Bite, Green Street, Callan, Kilkenny
• Tang City, Kickham Street, Nenagh, Tipperary
• Tasty Bites, Main Street, Caherconlish, Limerick
• Diamond Pizza, 163 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9
• China Kitchen, Unit 7, Captains Hill, Leixlip, Kildare

Inspectors discovered live cockroaches in a kitchen at Needs Asian Grocery, a butcher shop, where staff were also found to have received improper food hygiene training.

There was also evidence of a cockroach infestation in the basement storage area and the first floor service area at Govindas Restaurant in Dublin 1, which an FSAI inspector said they were closing after having sent two ‘improvement notices’ to the restaurant since 2017.

Poor pest control was noted at Okra Green in Co Dublin, where the back door to the kitchen was left open during the inspection, with evidence of birds feeding in the area, including a bird being observed flying out of the kitchen through the back door. 

A broken fly screen and an unclean premises – including a build up of congealed dirt and food debris beneath cooking equipment – led to the closure of China Kitchen in Leixlip.

Meanwhile, evidence of a fly infestation – including flies observed around food – was witnessed by an FSAI inspector at Diamond Pizza in Drumcondra in Dublin.

No operational fly killer was found in the kitchen of Tasty Bites in Limerick, where there was also an accumulation of black grease and the storage of raw meat near ready-to-eat foods.

Elsewhere, inspectors at Fresh Bite in Kilkenny found inadequate levels of cleaning, including a build-up of food waste and residues on walls and floors, dirt and cobwebs in the food store, and a foul odour coming from a manhole near a food preparation area.

And Tang City in Tipperary was also closed after surfaces, food preparation equipment and cloths and towels were found in dirty conditions, while staff were found to have a lack of food hygiene knowledge and dirty clothes.

Lack of training ‘unacceptable’

Under the FSAI Act 1998, a closure order is served where it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises; or where an improvement order is not complied with.

Closure orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities, but can be lifted once a food premises is found to be compliant.

Although six of the closure orders made last month have since been lifted, closure orders for Okra Green in Howth and Fresh Bite in Kilkenny remain in place.

Commenting on today’s report, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI, criticised businesses which failed to keep accurate records or train staff adequately in food safety procedures.

“It is completely unacceptable that workers in some food businesses are unable to demonstrate adequate food hygiene knowledge and skills,” she said.

“Some food businesses are failing to provide high food safety standards in their premises and among their staff.

“These failures have the potential to cause a serious risk to consumer health, which has been identified in this month’s enforcements.”

Full details of the closure orders and improvement orders issued by the FSAI in July can be read here.