The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported they handed five closure orders to Dublin food businesses in February alone.
Businesses include two Capel Street venues - the retailer Super Asia Food, and the restaurant/cafe White Rabbit. Talbot Street's takeaway Il Capo, the Dublin 8 takeaway East Oriental Take Out, as well as the food service area/deli of Top Oil Gala in Finglas were also served closure orders.
Il Capo on Talbot Street was issued the closure order after the HSE officer found a dead mouse in a trap underneath shelving used to store food and food contact equipment. The officer also spotted rodent droppings throughout the premises where food was being prepared and stored. The officer also found that there weren't any adequate procedures to prevent pests from entering the venue.
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This was not the only place issued a closure order due to rodents. The retailer Super Asia Food also received it after the HSE officer observed a rats infestation, evidenced by rodent droppings, in the same area where food was being prepared and stored. Meanwhile, the restaurant/cafe White Rabbit also had a rodent problem with the inspector also finding rat droppings.
East Oriental Chinese and Thai Takeaway in Dublin 8 was ordered to be closed "with immediate effect" due to several non-compliances. At the time of the inspection, there were packs of beef, chicken and unidentified meats stored in the freezer for unknown duration and which could not be traced.
According to the HSE officer who did the inspection, "the entire premises was not clean". The officer gave a number of examples, saying he spotted build-up of food debris and black mould in the Cold Room and shelving, the floor drain was almost completely blocked with the volume of debris present, and the fridge unit was unclean both internally and externally.
Food containers were "encrusted" with grease and food, some containers were also defective, while pots and cooker handles had "layers of burnt on grease present". The examples continued, with the HSE officer saying the wash hand basin and taps had "layers of dirt". The walls were "unclean with significant levels of visible grease and food debris".
There was food debris on the floor near the ovens, the wall floor junctions and behind all pieces of equipment. There were layers of grease and food on the back door, and food debris present on the shelving throughout the kitchen area. The extraction hood had grease dripping down the canopy, the HSE officer said.
The food service area/deli of Top Oil Gala in Finglas were served a closure order after an inspection revealed there was a water leak flooding the staff toilet. It was flowing into the food storage area and the food service/ deli area.
The staff toilet was "in a filthy condition" and a bin containing used tissues and personal hygiene products was "overflowing". Furthermore, there was no hot water there, nor any antibacterial soap or hand towels for hygienic hand washing. There was actually no hot water available in the premises at all, the inspection found.
The HSE officer also said the carpet in the rear store adjacent to the staff toilet had become "soaked" with potentially contaminated water as a result of the leaking water in the staff toilet and that the carpet was in a filthy condition.
The HSE officer also found that the hot hold unit was not operating correctly due to a broken lamp and as a result, it could not be verified that the food was safe to eat.
Since then, four of the the five Dublin places have had their closure orders lifted, with the only place remaining closed being Top Oil Gala's food service area and deli.
Commenting on the closure orders, FSAI chief Dr Pamela Byrne said: “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. Storage and food preparation areas must be properly cleaned and maintained to avoid potential contamination of food. It is also important that businesses have proper pest control procedures in place and that they are regularly checking that there are no pests in their premises."
Five other places in Ireland were also handed different types of enforcement orders in February. To read more about that, visit the FSAI's official website.
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