The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed that six enforcement orders were served on food businesses during the month of March, including one prohibition order to a butcher shop in Dublin.
The six orders were issued for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998, according to the authority.
The FSAI added that these enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Issued on March 5, the FSAI ordered that all vacuum packed minced lamb and minced beef supplied by Gill Venture Ltd trading as Halal Food and Grocery be withdrawn from sale with immediate effect.
The reason given for this order was: “[The] vacuum packed ovine leg and bovine knuckle was being opened, minced and re-vacuum packed on site.
“This minced lamb and minced beef were then labelled with the same ‘use by’ date as the original cuts of vacuum packed meat, giving the minced meat up to 26 days of shelf life,” the environmental health officer issuing the order said.
The mincing process disrupts the meat cellular structure, increasing the surface area of the meat product and making the minced meat a nutritious medium supporting pathogenic bacterial growth.
The official also noted that there was no food safety management system in place based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles within the establishment.
“There was no identified hazards or control methods in place for the activity of mincing on site. No evidence was provided to support validation of such an extensive shelf-life of up to 26 days for this minced lamb and minced beef.”
- The lack of procedures based on HACCP principles in place for the mincing activity; and
- The lack of validation for such an excessive shelf life time period for a highly perishable food which provides no assurance for the safety of the food.
“It is my opinion that the food business operator was unable to validate the excessive shelf life that had been set for the minced meats which had been minced on site,” the officer said.
In terms of the other five enforcement orders issued last month, three closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: Kebabish Tandoori restaurant, on Wood Quay, Dublin; Eurospar – specifically for the closed area rear bakery preparation kitchen, bakery storage area and adjoining lobby – in Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath; and China City restaurant, Sligo.
Two improvement orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: Giovanni’s Takeaway; and Milano’s restaurant, both of which are located in Dundalk, Co. Louth.
Finally, during the month of March, one prosecution was taken by the HSE in relation to: Camile Thai takeaway in Tallaght, Dublin.