Ireland

Food inspectors find ‘grave and immediate danger’ from large number rat droppings at south Dublin café

Le Chocolat de Frèd cafe on Georges Street Lower in Dun Laoghaire served with closure order under 1998 FSAI Act

Dirt on walls, equipment and surfaces of kitchens were among the reasons cited for ten enforcement orders served by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last month. Photograph: iStock

Olivia Kelleher
Thu Apr 11 2024 - 08:07

Fresh rat droppings, an “overflow of foul water” in a production area and dirt on walls, equipment and surfaces of kitchens, were among the reasons cited for ten enforcement orders served by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last month.

Other reasons included “unlabelled and unidentified” fish and meat being stored in freezers and fridges for an unknown duration, evidence of a lack of adequate and regular cleaning in premises, failure to comply with food safety legislation and the absence of accurate food allergen information.

One closure order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Le Chocolat de Frèd cafe on Georges Street Lower in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

The inspector said a “grave and immediate danger exists” in Le Chocolat de Frèd as a “large number of rodent droppings” were evident on the day of visitation. They particularly noted droppings in the floor area and shelving brackets underneath ‘the pastry serveover’ as well as the press containing the water filtration system.

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Eight closure orders were under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The premises included the Shangri La Asian Cuisine restaurant in Cabra, Dublin, where it was noted there was significant risk of cross contamination; Super Mario’s take away in Tullamore, where a drain was overflowing with foul water; Kingdom of Sweets on Westmoreland Street in Dublin, where “fresh rat droppings were noted in the basement of the premises”; Babylon Kebab House in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, where the premises was not maintained in a clean condition; and Royal Caterers in Ashbourne, Co Meath, which was also not in a clean condition.

The kitchen and storage area of Cork Oriental Supermarket on Dalton’s avenue was also hit with a closure order under Food Legislation Regulations as was Hilan Chinese and Korean BBQ restaurant on Capel Street in Dublin and Munch Box Restaurant in Drumcondra in Dublin.

One Prohibition Order was also served on Hilan Chinese on Capel Street in Dublin.

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said that breaches of food safety legislation pose a real danger to consumer health.

“Consumers have a right to safe food and this legal obligation sits with the food business operators. These food businesses are damaging the reputation of the food industry as a whole and can impact the trust that consumers have in the food they eat.

Environmental Health Officers, who inspect these food businesses, also continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is put at risk particularly through a failure to comply with hygiene requirements, pest control and food safety training requirements, which is unacceptable.”

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published at www.fsai.ie.

Closure and improvement orders will remain listed 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. Prohibition orders are listed for one month from the date the order was lifted.

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