Dublin Restaurant Forced To Close As “Live And Dead Insects Were Found Throughout The Premises”

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported that 8 Closure Orders and 1 Prohibition Order were served on food businesses during the month of September for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

You can find the full list of closures here which happened in restaurants in Limerick, Meath (3), Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Dublin (2).

One Dublin Restaurant in particular, Mint Leaf - 157 Drumcondra Road Lower in Dublin 9, was forced to close because:

"There was a build up of ingrained grease, dirt and food debris, to surfaces including: floors, walls, ceilings, doors, equipment and other hand contact surfaces.

"Additionally, dust, cobwebs and live & dead insects were found throughout the premises posing an unacceptable risk to public health."

You can find the full report on that here.

Some of the other reasons for Enforcement Orders in the other places in September included:

• No allergen information available for customers
• A live rat emanating from the drain when the tap at the kitchen sink was switched on
• No wash hand basin in raw meat preparation area
• Food preparation in a storage shed
• Dirt and black mould engrained on chopping boards and preparation block
• A foul odour emanating from the drain servicing the dishwasher; rust, mould and dirt on the ice machine

Commenting today, Dr. Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI emphasised that food businesses owners must ensure that training their staff in food safety and hygiene is their highest priority.

"It is very concerning to see that the reasons for Closure Orders this month were mainly due to filthy conditions and unhygienic practices. It is essential that food businesses have a strong food safety and hygiene culture in their business, which can be achieved through ongoing training of all members of their team.

"Failure to recognise the importance of food safety in a food business reflects poorly not only on that business, but also on the entire food industry.”

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