Two Co Donegal food businesses were served with closure orders last month after rodent droppings were discovered, which in one case led to food being deemed “unfit for human consumption” and in another presented a “grave and immediate danger to public health”.
A report on Letterkenny Spice Land from a Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) inspection which led to a closure order being served found that the construction of the premises did not present good food hygiene practices against contamination, in particular pest control.
It said this was evidenced by “widespread rodent activity” and that rodent droppings were found on food packaging, shelving and equipment, which the report said led to a serious risk of food being contaminated with bacteria and made it “unfit for human consumption”.
The closure order was one of three issued by the FSAI in February.
A second business in Letterkenny, Masala Chowk Restaurant and Takeaway, was issued a closure order last month due to “widespread evidence of pest activity”.
This included rodent droppings that were found on food packaging and on food as well as a dead mouse which was found under food shelving, an FSAI inspector’s report stated.
The report noted that these conditions meant “there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health”.
A closure order was also served on an area of restaurant, Duud, located in Huntstown, Blanchardstown in Dublin, where the rear yard including two storage containers at the rear of the premises were ordered closed.
The report said this area did not allow for good food hygiene practices and that food was not protected against contamination from pests.
“There was evidence of an infestation found within the two storage containers with numerous rodent droppings noted in different locations throughout.
“The rodent droppings in the two storage containers were found located on boxes containing food, on the floor and on pallets used to store food,” the report noted.
It added that rodent droppings had not been removed from the two storage containers and the rear yard.
Meanwhile, a prohibition order was served on ‘Honey Beans from Nigeria’ sold by Good African Food Store in Letterkenny due to the items being displayed for sale without adequate labelling or identification to facilitate its traceability.
Chief Executive of the FSAI Greg Dempsey reaffirmed the legal requirement of all food businesses to ensure full and continuous compliance with food safety requirements.
“Food businesses are legally obliged to ensure that the food they provide is safe for consumers.
“This month’s enforcement orders were issued where serious deficiencies in hygiene and pest control were observed,” he said.
Mr Dempsey added: “These issues are all entirely preventable. It is critical that all food businesses maintain rigorous food safety practices and ensure staff are properly trained.
“Consumer health cannot be compromised, and there is no excuse for negligence in food safety when running a food business.”