Seven food outlets were issued with orders to close by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) due to breaches regulations in May.
Some of the reasons for the breaches included a lack of pest controls with live rodents and droppings spotted, incorrect temperature storage of high risk food such as beef, chicken and pork dishes, and encrusted dirt and grease on surfaces.
Other reasons listed were no hot water in sinks, bacteria in some ready-to-eat foods, as well as an electric fly killer full of dead insects fixed directly above a production line.
Four closures were served under the FSAI Act, while three were served under EU food regulations, with one prohibition order served under EU regulations and issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive.
Those served under the FSAI Act were:
- Pygmalion Public House, Unit 19, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, William Street South, Dublin 2
- Go Go Pizza and Kebab, Whitemill Road, Co Wexford
- HG Ritchie Limited (manufacturer), Jamestown Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8
- Mart Café, Raphoe Mart, Derry Road, Raphoe, Co Donegal
Those served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations were:
- Sillis Green Veg (Closed activities: The use of sodium metabisulphite in the dipping process and production of foodstuffs), Sillis, Glaslough, Co Monaghan
- Milne Foods Limited (Closed activities: processing of all ready-to-eat foods on the premises), Syngefield Industrial Estate, Birr, Co Offaly
- Golden Beach Supermarket (Closed Activities: The preparation and serving of food in the ground floor kitchen and service area. The slicing and/or packing of food products in basement storeroom), 137 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
While the EU Prohibition Order was served to Bullet Duck & Dumpling, 27 Mary Street Little, Dublin 7.
The closure order on Pygmalion in Dublin, which was imposed on 31 May, was lifted on 2 June, while the order on HG Ritchie was imposed on 16 May and lifted on 25 May.
The order on Golden Beach supermarket was imposed on 5 May and lifted on 12 May.
Speaking about the findings, the FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne urged food businesses not to be "so careless" when it comes to the health of consumers.
"It is simply unacceptable that some food businesses across Ireland continue to operate without fully adhering to food safety and hygiene legislation.
"Multiple occurrences in Enforcement Orders issued in May show a complete lack of adequate procedures in place to control pests."
She added that as we move into warmer summer months, that it was disappointing to note that some food businesses inadequately monitoring their electric fly killers.
"Consumers of food in Ireland have a right to safe food and hygienic food premises," she said.
