Five food businesses were ordered to close in January for breaches of food safety legislation.
Businesses in counties Dublin, Limerick, Meath and Cork were named in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) list of closure orders for the month.
Three closure orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on Hot Spot, a takeaway on Parnell Street, Limerick; Polonez, a retailer at 20 Moore Street, Dublin 1, and Pacino’s Restaurant, 18 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2.
Two closure orders were served under EU food safety regulations on Beachview Tandoori (takeaway), Strand Road, Laytown, Meath and Kavanaghs Fine Foods Cork Ltd, 9 Pearse Street, Ballyphehane, Cork.
The closed area of the Cork business was a standalone manufacturing unit located to the rear of 9 Pearse Square.
All the orders, apart from those served on Hot Spot and on the Beachview Tandoori, were subsequently lifted.
Closure orders are served by HSE environmental health inspectors where it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises.
Michael Martin, proprietor of Pacino’s, said the closure order was placed to facilitate immediate upgrades to the restaurant’s rear doors, including the replacement of one, the extinguishment of another, and door closures put in place.
He said this was due to the fact that the rear lane, used by nearly 20 businesses, was not being maintained effectively.
“We are a small restaurant business with 30 employees and work very hard at what we do, taking food safety extremely seriously,” he said.
FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said food businesses must prioritise food safety requirements and not be complacent.
“The vast majority of Irish food businesses are aware of the importance of food safety requirements and are complying with food safety legislation,” she said.
“However, there are a number of businesses acting carelessly and potentially putting consumer’s health at risk.”
Dr Byrne said all food businesses must take responsibility and recognise that the legal onus was on them to make sure that the food they sold or served was safe to eat.
This required ongoing compliance with food safety and hygiene standards.
The FSAI provides information to food businesses on their legal obligations via info@fsai.ie, its website fsai.ie and on its Facebook page.