Rodent activity in a kitchen, a bucket full of brown unidentifiable liquid in a bar and food past its use by date were among the reasons Ireland’s food safety watchdog imposed temporary closure orders on four restaurants and shops last month.
The Food Safety Authorty of Ireland (FSAI) served orders on the kitchen area of the Shamrock Lodge on Seamus Ennis Road in Finglas, Dublin 11; a small kitchen on the ground floor of the White Sands Hotel in Portmarnock; and the Chillers Restaurant and Lounge on Fonthill Rd in Dublin 22.
The White Sands Hotel in Portmarnock was visited on foot of a complaint from a member of the public which included video footage of a rat in the bar. Inspectors said the complaint was verified while a report from the hotel’s pest control provider confirmed mice activity in the small kitchen ground floor on a specified date.
The order was imposed on January 7th and lifted on January 10th.
Inspectors who visited the Chillers restaurant noted, among other things, an accumulation of grease deposit that had formed on the ceiling tiles above the utensil wash sink as well as dirt on the floors, walls ceilings and doors in ancillary areas off the main kitchen.
The report also highlighted a “a layer of dirt and food debris on the floor under the counters in the kitchen area [and an] an insufficient capability to clean equipment and utensils as the dishwasher was broken and there was no second utensil sink designated to facilitate cleaning.”
The report identified two microwaves beside the large chest freezer that “were dirty and covered in dried food residue’ and a “bucket full of brown unidentifiable liquid containing white pipes beneath the sink in the bar area”.
It also found that a staff toilet could not be accessed for use and was dirty.
The order was imposed on January 5th and lifted on January 9th.
The ceiling and roof of the Shamrock Lodge was, inspectors said, in “very poor repair” with a big leak. There were four or five buckets on the floors and food preparation surfaces attempting to catch the water dripping from above.
The order was imposed on January 15th and lifted on February 3rd.
O’Connell’s Foodstore on Main St, Bansha, Co Tipperary, was found to be selling food with use-by dates that had passed and had an order served on it connected with that.
Greg Dempsey, FSAI chief executive, highlighted the need for food businesses to implement a rigorous food safety management system.
“Inspectors are finding recurring incidents of unhygienic practices and rodent infestations in food businesses,” he said.
“Implementing and maintaining a food safety management system is a basic requirement and should be of the highest importance for food businesses. Maintaining a clean premises is not a ‘nice to have’ – it is a basic legal requirement.”
He noted that all food businesses had a duty of care to their customers to serve food that is prepared in a clean premises and is safe to eat.
Closure orders and improvement orders remain listed on the FSAI’s website for three months from the date a premises is adjudged to have corrected its issue. Prohibition orders are listed for a period of one month.