5 enforcement orders were served on food businesses in October

"There can be zero tolerance for negligent practices."

Five enforcement orders were served on food businesses across Ireland in October, two in Dublin, one in Roscommon, one in Kildare, and one in Meath. Reasons behind the closures included: the presence of undeclared allergens in food with a potential to cause a life threatening allergic reaction; no evidence of a food safety culture; a drinking water sample taken from the food business indicating contamination of the supply; large open containers of raw chicken left on various surfaces throughout the food premises at room temperature; and more. The FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne said this of the October enforcement orders. "Food businesses must ensure there is a strong food safety culture in place, including adequate training for all staff. This simply must be a top priority for food businesses. Consumers have a right to safe food, and there is a personal responsibility for managers and all employees to comply with food safety legal requirements at all times. Neglecting food safety demonstrates disregard for the well-being of customers and also potentially places their health at an unnecessary risk. There can be zero tolerance for negligent practices that put consumers’ health at risk, and the full powers of food law will be used if a food business is found to be in breach."

Mizzoni Pizza

Railway Street, Meath Pizza takeaway Mizzoni was issued a closure order under European Union Regulation on October 27th. The order came as the food business operator failed to effectively address non-compliances that had the potential to result in illness, and to prevent recurrence and maintain a satisfactory level of food safety. The report found that there was "ineffective and infrequent cleaning", a "lack of adequate dishwashing equipment/facilities", as well as the "presence of undeclared allergens in food has potential to cause life-threatening a life threatening allergic reaction" and "unsafe food handling practices". At the time of writing, the closure order has not yet been lifted.

Base Café

Newbridge Road, Kildare Base Coffee in Kilcullen was issued a closure order under the FSAI Act 1998 on October 26th. The order was issued due to "E coli" being found in a drinking water sample. The report said that there is "likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health" if the water sample taken on October 24th is any indication. At the time of writing, the closure order has not yet been lifted.

Seasons Chinese

Bridge Street, Roscommon Seasons Chinese, based in Roscommon, was issued a closure order under European Union Regulations on October 26th. Below are some of the reasons for the closure order:

• Eight large containers of open raw chicken were left on various surfaces throughout the food premises at room temperature permitting the growth of bacteria
• Cooked noodles were left to cool next to raw meat preparation in the wash up sinks which poses a risk of cross contamination
• Two large open containers of raw chicken were left thawing at room temperature permitting the growth of bacteria and also vulnerable to contamination
• No hand washing was observed during the inspection
• There was no evidence of food safety training received by food workers

You can read the full report here. This closure order was lifted on November 2nd.

Indian Spice

Parnell Street, Dublin Parnell Street's Indian Spice was issued a closure order under the FSAI Act 1998 on October 10th. The closure order came as a result of no hand washing facilities in the kitchen, as well as foul water spilling onto the kitchen floor from a broken waste water drain. This resulted in potatoes being left in said water, making them unfit for consumption. The presence of foul water ultimately posed a threat of food contamination. The order was lifted on October 12th.

Meghan's Café

Cecelia Street, Dublin Dublin 2's Meghan's Café was issued with a prohibition order on October 2nd, under European Union Regulations. The report listed the food items that were considered unfit for human consumption, where the advice was to restrict or prohibit them from being sold. These included four ham and cheese toasties, four small cheese pizzas, one chicken, two avocado, tomato, and mayo sandwiches and more. According to the report, these items were considered a support in the reproduction of pathogenic micro-organisms, and therefore a risk to health. You can read the whole list here. The prohibition order was lifted on October 9th. Header images via Instagram / Indian Spice & Getty READ ON: - Seven Mamma Mia! performances announced for 3Arena next year - Suesey Street Restaurant launches Sister Suesey, a new café overlooking Grand Canal - Croke Park the first events venue to launch a 50 Mile Menu