Live cockroaches, dead rodents and 'congealed fat' found in food businesses as 12 closure orders served in July

Live cockroaches and congealed fat on kitchen equipment, altered use-by-dates and a rodent carcass in a trap are just some of the reasons for closure orders served on food businesses last month.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that a total of 16 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses during the month of July for breaches of food safety legislation.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Three Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on premises around Dublin city, while nine Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on premises in Roscommon, Dublin and Tipperary.

Six of the Closure Orders, on a number of food businesses on the Fonthill road in Clondalkin, county Dublin, were due to evidence of ongoing cockroach activity.

Other reasons for the enforcement orders included live cockroaches found in equipment and on traps in the kitchen area; multiple holes and gaps in the walls along with rodent droppings; a rodent carcass in a snap trap and failure to implement adequate pest control measures.

Failure to implement an appropriate food safety culture; food with either expired, missing or altered use-by dates; food not thawed safely; food items stored at unsafe temperatures; inadequate regular and thorough cleaning throughout the premises; equipment like meat slicers congealed with fat and stale food debris; continuous failure to maintain consistent cleaning standards and filthy cleaning equipment and cleaning cloths were also among the reasons given.

Three Prohibition Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on premises in Cork and Louth, while one Prohibition Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on a butchers in Dublin.

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, emphasised that compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations should be of the highest priority for all food businesses.

“Filthy premises, unsafe food storage and inadequate pest control measures are once again the primary reasons for this month’s Enforcement Orders," she said.

"These violations demonstrate a total disregard for food safety requirements and highlight the ongoing failure of some food businesses to maintain basic, consistent cleaning practices, and this failure poses a significant risk to public health.

"Food businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of the food they produce, distribute or sell by maintaining proper storage temperatures, ensuring staff are properly trained, having stringent hygiene practices and ensuring their food businesses are fully pest proofed," Dr Byrne continued.

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie. 

Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports 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 from the date the Order was lifted.