Closure order issued for small meat manufacturing plant in May - FSAI

Three enforcement orders were served on food businesses during the month of May for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has announced.

Revealed today, Monday, June 8, the enforcement orders were issued by officers of the FSAI following an investigation supported by the Health Service Executive (HSE) Environmental Health Service and local authority veterinary inspectors.

The orders consisted of one closure order and two prohibition orders.

The closure order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: JLM Foods and JLM Family Butchers – a small meat manufacturing plant – based at Main Street, Tyrrellspass, Westmeath.

The two prohibition orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: JLM Foods and JLM Family Butchers – a small meat manufacturing plant – based at Main Street, Tyrrellspass, Co. Westmeath; and Bruno Cesar Silva Gomes – a retailer based at Bailis Manor, Navan, Co. Meath.

According to the FSAI, the enforcement orders were served in May when non-compliances with food law were detected including: the operation of an unregistered/unapproved food business from a domestic dwelling; the transport and storage of unrefrigerated meat and meat preparations; inaccurate labelling on food products and; the lack of traceability.

An establishment being used by one food business operator in Tyrrellspass was not registered or approved by a competent authority for the operations taking place, specifically relating to storage, processing and the national distribution of meat and other products.

Products considered not to be fit for human consumption were being sold without valid shelf-lives, a lack of labelling, a lack of traceability and undeclared allergens, all of which pose a serious risk to consumer health, the authority added.

Commenting today, Dr. Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI, outlined her concern that, during the current public health pandemic, some illegal food business operators could be seeking to take advantage of consumers who are shopping locally and wishing to support food businesses in their own community.

“The prohibition orders resulted in over 1,500kg of meat and meat products being seized and destroyed,” Dr. Byrne said.

“No matter where, how or from whom consumers buy food, it must be safe to eat, produced in an approved or registered food establishment and comply with food law, so that public health is protected.

The enforcement orders in May were served for a blatant disregard for compliance with food legislation.

“We are calling on everyone to be vigilant about food being offered for sale and if they are unsure or suspect there is an unusual activity being demonstrated by a retailer, processor, distributor or from a domestic dwelling, that they can contact us via our online complaint form and we will investigate,” Dr. Byrne added.

Closure orders and improvement orders will remain listed on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with prohibition orders being listed for a period of one month.