FOUR FOOD outlets have been closed by environmental health officers from the Health Service Executive for posing a threat to public health.
Benny’s restaurant in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, the Adezath Superstore on North Circular Road in Dublin, the Castle Dargan Hotel in Sligo and a chip-van operating in the west of Ireland were all served with closure orders last month.
A prohibition order was served on the Ben Super Food Store in Dublin 7.
Following news of the closures, Food Safety Authority of Ireland chief executive, Prof Alan Reilly, said enforcement orders served on premises in breach of food safety legislation undermine consumer confidence.
Urging businesses to ensure full compliance with the food safety requirements set out in law, he said: “Consumers need to feel confident that the food they are purchasing is safe, and every enforcement order undermines that confidence.”
Prof Reilly said it was the responsibility of all food business operators to ensure their premises were 100 per cent compliant with food safety legislation, in the interests of their customers and their businesses.
A closure order is served when it is deemed that there is, or is likely to be, a grave and immediate danger to public health due to food practices or conditions at a premises.
The order can be lifted if remedial or other work demanded by the officers is carried out.
Prohibition orders are issued if food-related activities such as handling, processing, disposal, manufacturing, storage, distribution or selling food involve or are likely to involve a serious risk to public health from a particular product or item of food.
The effect is to prohibit the sale of the item, either temporarily or permanently.