Outlets closed for food breaches

Closure orders were served on four businesses last month for breaches of food safety legislation.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland served the orders on Macari's restaurant in Cootehill, Cavan, the 3in1 Curry, Pizza and Kebab House in Bantry, Co Cork, Cahill's Foodstore in Crookstown, Co Cork and on the LM Carey Bakery in Dungarvan, Waterford

A closure order is issued if health inspectors deem there is, or there is likely to be, a grave and immediate danger to public health at the food premises. The order can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the business, or all or some of its activities.

In the case of Cahill's, the authority said it had ordered the closure of the butchery department while in the 3in1, the closure was related to the defrosting, cutting and cooking of raw meat.

In addition to the closure orders served, one improvement order and two prohibition orders were also served last month.

The improvement order was issued to Papa Sorrento Take Away in Finglas, Dublin 11, while the prohibition orders were served on the Dynasty Chinese restaurant and Take Away in Ballymun, Dublin 11 and the Sligo Spice and Halal Point butcher shop in Sligo town.

Businesses are served with prohibition orders if their activities involve or are likely to involve a serious risk to public health from a particular product, class, batch or item of food, while improvement notices are issued where there are concerns involving the handling and preparation of food and the condition of a premises.

Chief executive of the authority Prof Alan Reilly said it was disappointing to see a doubling in the number of enforcement orders served compared to April.

"Such an increase in statistics is evidence that some food businesses have become complacent and let standards decline which is unacceptable," he said.

Prof Reilly added that the E. coli outbreak in Germany served as a "harsh reminder of the potential consequences of poor food safety practices".

Details of the food businesses served with these enforcement orders are published on the authority's website at fsai.ie