Eleven food businesses were closed last month for breaches of food safety legislation.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the number of closure orders served in August had been disappointing.
Businesses closed by environmental health officers in the HSE for breaches of the FSAI Act 1988 were:
Golden Fish & Chips take-away, Main Street, Ballina, Killaloe, Tipperary; Indian Royale restaurant, Market Centre, Main Street, Letterkenny, Donegal; Chutney Takeaway, South Strand Street, Skerries, Co Dublin; Pygmalion Public House Ltd (preparation kitchen, keg room, under-street stores, yard area and bottle store), Powerscourt Townhouse, South William Street, Dublin 2 and Foleys public house (closed area: basement), 1 Merrion Row, Dublin 2
Food businesses closed for breaches of the EU’s control of foodstuffs regulations were:
Polish Groceries Galicja Ltd (closed area: delicatessen/meat counter), Mill Road, Ennis, Clare; Mirza's Take Away, Main Street, Rathnew, Wicklow; Tony's Takeaway, The Rock, Rathnew, Wicklow; Eternal Chinese Take-Away, 328 Old Bray Road, Cornelscourt, Dublin 18; Roadside Tavern public house (kitchen, food storage ancillary areas & food service facilities), Lisdoonvarna, Clare and Lings restaurant, 10B Albert Walk, Bray, Wicklow.
FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly said the 11 closure orders served during the month followed 12 such orders served in July - one of the highest in 10 years. He said this was “a very worrying trend”.
“Again and again, we encounter cases of improper storage of foodstuffs and poor cleaning and sanitising.”
He urged food businesses to have a food safety management system in place and that it was consulted on a regular basis and updated where necessary.
“There is absolutely no excuse for negligent practices.”
The FSAI advice line is available at 1890 336677.