Six closure orders, one prohibition order and one improvement order were served on food businesses during the month of February for breaches of food safety legislation, Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed today.

Four closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

The Carrickdale Hotel (Closed part: Bar area: Food area only), Carrickarnon, Dundalk, Louth

Apache Pizza (take away), 108 Pearse Street, Dublin 2

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 93 Great William O'Brien Street, Blackpool, Cork

Hennessy Garden Centre, (Closed part: Hennessy Garden Centre Café), Carlow Road, Gowran, Kilkenny

Two closure orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

China Kitchen (restaurant/café), 14 Market Street, Clonmel, Tipperary

Flame Street Food (restaurant/café), 38 Washington Street, Cork

A prohibition order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on premises occupied by Agnieszka Karpowicz (manufacturer), Unit 13, Kernanstown Industrial Estate, Hacketstown Road, Carlow

An improvement order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Trattoria Toscana (restaurant/café), Main Street, Donegal Town, Donegal

Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in February were: mouse activity in the bar area; substantial rodent droppings in the kitchen; large amount of rodent droppings throughout the premises; the premises had not been cleaned in a considerable time; food stored in dirty, defective, chipped containers; lack of proper hand washing; lack of proper cleaning on the premises; raw and ready-to-eat food prepared on the same countertop; and no hot water at the kitchen sink and wash hand basin.

Commenting on the Enforcement Orders served in February, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI stated that food businesses must prioritise food safety requirements to ensure the food they are serving is safe to eat.

“Food businesses must recognise that the legal onus is on them to make sure that the food they sell or serve is safe to eat," she said.

"Some of the recurring findings are filthy premises and premises that are not pest-proofed. These are basic requirements and there are no excuses for bad practice.

"Maintaining a food business requires ongoing compliance with food safety and hygiene standards.

"Non-compliances are not tolerated and breaches of food safety legislation are dealt with to the full extent of food law.

"Food businesses should take full advantage of the information and support provided by the inspectorate and the FSAI.”

- Digital desk