More food businesses were closed last year for breaches of food safety legislation than in 2023, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said today (Thursday, January 9).

A total of 133 enforcement orders were served on food businesses by the FSAI last year for “a number of recurring food safety issues” including inadequate pest control procedures, inadequate cleaning and inadequate staff training.

Between January 1 and December 31 last year 115 closure orders, 16 prohibition orders and two improvement orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive, sea-fisheries protection officers in the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and inspectors in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on food businesses throughout the country.

Food businesses

According to Dr. Pamela Byrne, chief executive, FSAI, the increase in enforcement orders issued to food businesses in 2024 “was unacceptable”.

“Consumers have a right to safe food and negligent food practices are inexcusable. The types of reasons cited for enforcement orders are simple errors that should not be happening in any food business.

“Enforcement orders, especially closure and prohibition orders, are never issued for minor breaches, they are served only when a serious risk to consumer health is identified or when ongoing breaches of food legislation pose significant hygiene or operational issues.

“Inadequate or absent pest control procedures was a recurring issue throughout 2024 and pest control needs to be addressed by all food businesses this year,” Dr. Byrne warned.

She said that while the majority of food businesses comply with the legislation, it is “unacceptable to see recurring issues that are entirely avoidable”.

“These fundamental breaches not only pose a potential risk to consumer health, but also undermine consumer trust,” Dr Byrne added.

Food safety

The FSAI also reported today that nine closure orders were served on food businesses during the month of December 2024 for breaches of food safety legislation.

Some of the reasons for the closure orders in December included, inadequate pest control measures in place, the presence of fresh rat droppings and decomposed rat carcass, live cockroaches on walls, floors and in a sticky trap, dirty premises, with accumulation of food debris, grease, dirt, and rat faeces, live and dead cockroaches throughout the food storage and preparation areas.

Six Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 in December on:

  • Cork Rooftop Farm Limited, 6-7 Cornmarket Street, Cork;
  • Take Away Express, Northgate Street, Athlone, Westmeath; 
  • K&Q Snacks Limited,76 Boyne Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11;
  • Murphys Fish and Chips, 16 John Street, Waterford;
  • Lam’s Asian Cuisine & Eskimo Pizza, Green Street, Callan, Kilkenny;
  • Numidia CafĂ©, 31 Richmond Street South, Dublin 2.

Three closure orders were also served in December under the European Union, Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation Regulations, 2020 on:

  • Panda Chinese Take Away, Main Street, Clogheen, Tipperary;
  • Asian Express, Unit 2, Kish House, Greendale Road, Raheny, Dublin 5;
  • Taro Noodle & Sushi Bar, Unit 2, Kish House, Greendale Road, Raheny, Dublin 5.

Dr. Byrne has stressed that “every food business must have robust pest control procedures in place to ensure that pests are not getting into their businesses and putting consumers’ health at risk”.

 

FOOD BUSINESSES