Closure orders for two restaurants

Closure orders were served on two restaurants in Co Clare last month for breaches of food safety legislation.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland served the orders on Currans, Church Street, Ennistymon and The Golden China, The Square, Lisdoonvarna.

Under the FSAI Act, 1998, a closure order is served where it is deemed there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises, or where an improvement order is not complied with.

Closure orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the premises, or all or some of its activities.

In the case of Currans, the authority said it had ordered the closure of “rear storage and patron sanitary accommodation”.

In addition to the closure orders, a prohibition order was served on a Co Galway based beer importer and distributor.

World Beers of St Brendan’s Road, Portumna was served with a prohibition order, which prohibits the sale or a product either temporarily or permanently if it is likely to involve a serious risk to public health.

Authority chief executive Prof Alan Reilly said issues such as poor cleaning, sanitising and improper storage of foodstuffs continue to arise.

"It is disappointing that avoidable food safety infringements that could pose a risk to consumer health continue to occur," he said. "It is a food business operator's legal responsibility to take the necessary steps to ensure that the food they serve and sell to their customers is safe to eat. There is no excuse for shoddy practices."

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