Active rodent infestations have led to closure orders being issued at two Dublin restaurants.
The orders were among a total of eight closure orders issued to food businesses across the country by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last month.
Jazz Chinese Restaurant in Coolock, Co Dublin and Freshly Chopped & Neat Pizza in Fairview, Co Dublin were both found to have active rodent infestations in kitchen areas where open foods are prepared.
The rodent infestations were evidenced in both establishments by the presence of recent droppings in multiple areas of the kitchens.
The enforcement order for Freshly Chopped & Neat Pizza wrote that recent rodent droppings were discovered “behind the pizza oven, under the dishwasher and in the services cupboard”.
A closure order was issued at Letterkenny Kebab and Pizza after inspectors found rice near the wok cooking station that was “covered in blue mould and was turning purple in colour”.
Inspectors also found raw meat stored above ready-to-eat taco sauce and noted that taps, basins and handles were engrained in dirt.
Al Huda Grocery in Summerhill in Dublin’s north inner city was issued with a closure order after safety inspectors responded to a complaint relating to the sighting of cockroaches on the premises.
The subsequent inspection found two dead cockroaches in the shop floor area along with “substantial fly activity” in and around the deli area.
FSAI Chief Executive Pamela Byrne warned that there is a legal responsibility for food businesses to act responsibly and ensure the food they provide to their customers is safe to eat.
She said: “Whilst most food businesses follow high food safety standards and are compliant with food law, inspectors continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is put at risk through a failure to comply with food safety and basic hygiene requirements.
“These non-compliances are avoidable, and we have zero tolerance for any food business that does not comply with its legal requirements.
“Food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure the safe supply of food and it is unacceptable that basic procedures like handwashing, cleaning, robust pest control measures and storing food correctly at the appropriate temperature are not being properly followed.
“Food businesses must do better.”
A total of eight premises were issued with closure orders during the month of August, two under the FSAI Act and six under EU regulations:
- Jazz Chinese Restaurant, Coolock Village Shopping Centre, Beechpark Avenue, Coolock, Dublin 5
- Freshly Chopped & Neat Pizza (Restaurant/Cafe), First Floor, 13-15 Main Street, Fairview, Dublin 3
- Letterkenny Kebab and Pizza/East Ocean (take away), 61 Port Road, Letterkenny, Donegal
- Baalbec Take Away (Closed area: The outdoor area used to accommodate the potato peeling and preparation), Sarsfield Street, Kilmallock, Limerick
- Al Huda Grocery (retailer), 72A Summerhill, Dublin 1
- Cafe India,16 Harbour Street, Tullamore, Offaly
- Divine Catering (domestic kitchen), Farnamurry Close, Ballygraigue Road, Nenagh, Tipperary
- Akanchawa Honey Pot (restaurant/café), Unit 39, Coolmine Industrial Estate, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
