Five food outlets in same Dublin shopping arcade hit with closure orders – The Irish Times

Five different food establishments in a shopping arcade in Dublin’s north inner city were issued with closure orders by the food safety watchdog in March.

More widely, environmental health officers from the Health Service Executive working with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) served 12 closure orders and two prohibition orders last month for breaches of food safety legislation.

Among other issues, inspectors identified active cockroach infestations, rodent activity, meat being air dried in a bedroom and a waste discharge covering an entire floor in a kitchen.

The Kebab House 66, Georgian Delight, Dailo Nepali Kitchen, Tiramisu Mania and Spicy Bite, all of which are located in the Moore Mall on Moore Street, Dublin 1, were issued with closure orders.

Inspectors who visited the Kebab House 66 noted mouse activity on the premises and the presence of a recently dead mouse in one of the cockroach traps under the fridge in the kitchen area.

There was also evidence of mouse droppings on a trolley storing cabbage and onions that were intended to be consumed in their raw state.

There was also evidence in the Georgian Delight of rodent activity, with more dead mice found in cockroach traps and mouse droppings found in a number of areas such as the top of a standing freezer beside a chopping board and inside the vent of a fridge where loose food such as tomatoes and cucumbers were stored.

Spicy Bite was found to have an active cockroach infestation, and multiple dead cockroaches were noted inside a fridge and in a trap in a ceiling unit in the food preparation area. The orders on Georgian Delight, Kebab House 66 and Spicy Bite have not yet been lifted.

The Dailio Nepali kitchen was also found to have evidence of an active cockroach infestation, with the inspectors noting the cockroaches were “likely to have had contact with the equipment food contact material and ready-to-eat food stuff”. The order was lifted on April 10th.

Tiramisu Mania also had an active cockroach infestation, with open ready-to-eat foods such as cakes and pizzas stored and prepared in an area where cockroaches were likely to have had contact with them. That order was also lifted on April 10th.

Away from Moore Street, a Eurospar in Fairview was found to have active cockroach infestation in a coffee dock cabinet close to an area where fruit was being sold. The closure order was imposed on March 16th and lifted the same day.

Bruno Gomes, described as a food business in operation from a domestic dwelling at Ferndale, Navan, Co Meath, was also closed after being identified as having fresh and frozen meat stored in various locations throughout the premises, and in a vehicle parked outside, without any controls in place.

There was evidence of mincing of meat being carried on the premises without any controls in place and meat was found being air dried in a bedroom without any controls in place. Pieces of meat were tied to plastic crates adjacent to a radiator and covered with cardboard, the inspectors found. The closure order is still in effect.

A butcher area in Arsh Bazzar on Mary Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, was found to have “visible long-standing dirt” including “extensive accumulation of food debris on floors, particularly along edges, corners and beneath equipment”.

The equipment was heavily soiled and in an unclean condition while a door hinge on a walk-in cold room was heavily soiled with grease and food debris. Shelving was also heavily contaminated with visible dirt, grease and stains.

The closure order was imposed on March 18th and lifted a day later.

FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey said it was “disappointing that we continue to see enforcement action being necessary due to fundamental breaches. Inspectors are finding recurring incidents of pest infestations and unhygienic practices in food businesses.”

He said they were “entirely preventable non-compliances when proper food-safety management systems are in place. Consumers have a right to safe food. Under food law, it is the legal responsibility of food businesses to ensure the food they sell to the consumer is safe to eat.”