The Lunch Bag, which provides hot meals to school children, was ordered to close last month after inspectors identified serious breaches of food safety legislation
An Irish school meals provider was hit with a closure order after rodent droppings were found on ovens and in cupboards – stock photo
An Irish school meals provider was issued with a closure order after rodent droppings were discovered on ovens and inside cupboards.
According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), environmental health officers from the Health Service Executive (HSE) issued closure orders to 12 food businesses last month for various breaches of food safety regulations.
Among them was The Lunch Bag, which supplies hot meals to schoolchildren, which was ordered to cease operations by food safety authorities on September 23 after inspectors discovered serious violations of food safety legislation, with pest activity and inadequate hygiene among the problems found.
The order against The Lunch Bag applied to all areas connected to food business operations at Timahoe GAA in Pairc Mhochua Cremorgan, Timahoe, Portlaoise, reports RSVP Live.
According to the inspector’s report, rodent droppings were observed in the following areas;
– on the stainless steel rims of the food temperature control ovens
– on food contact materials
– on shelving beneath the sink in the food premises
– inside cupboards in the food premises
An Irish school meals provider was hit with a closure order after rodent droppings were found on ovens and in cupboards
The health inspector also noted that “dead insects / flies were observed on window ledges and on floors beneath equipment in the food premises,” while “bird faces were also noted on the walls”.
The closure order issued on the Lunch Bag has not yet been lifted
Meanwhile, a well-known restaurant and takeaway in south Dublin was also forced to close after an “active infestation” was found in the food establishment’s kitchen area.
Food inspectors closed Pizza Petito on Orwell Road in Rathgar, Dublin 6, following the discovery.
Their report stated: “There is an active infestation of rats in the premises and in particular in the kitchen area.
“Rodent droppings were found along the wall on both sides of the kitchen and underneath a food refrigeration unit.
“The kitchen was trading at the time of the inspection, with one customer seated eating a freshly cooked pizza.
“The droppings were noted to be spread widely across the kitchen.”
The inspector observed that “rodents are known to carry pathogenic bacteria in their droppings. This poses a risk to public health.”
The inspector continued: “Food stored, produced or sold from this kitchen is likely to be contaminated, unsafe and poses a grave and immediate danger to the public health.”
The closure order was served on September 23 and remains in effect. It was among twelve closure orders issued by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in September.
Meanwhile, a smoothie bar and café in Dublin was closed down after inspectors uncovered a cockroach infestation.
12 food businesses across Ireland were hit by closure orders in September for a range of breaches of food safety including a popular Irish school meals provider
The Hopsack, situated at Swan Leisure Centre, Lower Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6, received a closure order on September 10 after “all stages of the cockroach infestation from nymph to adulthood was found in the premises during the inspection”.
According to the inspector’s report, “a live cockroach was also noted under the food service area where Ready-To-Eat food juices are prepared and served”. The closure order was lifted on September 24.
In addition, J2 Sushi and Bento, situated at 75 Main Street, Swords, was served with a closure order on September 9, after an inspector determined that “adequate permanent procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles were not in place for the storage, preparation, production and offering for sale of sushi and sashimi”. “
Adequate procedures were not in place for the cooking, cooling and reheating of high-risk foods,including chicken. The operator could not demonstrate that these processes were consistently controlled by, monitoring, corrective action, verification and records,” the report stated.
The closure order was lifted the following day on September 10.
Meanwhile, Centra in Ardlo Manor, Mullagh, Co Cavan, was instructed to close on September 22 after inspectors “noted that there has been ongoing issues with rat activity and that remedial actions in relation to pest proofing has not been completed to date. The pest control company have stated on their visit this morning that there is evidence of ongoing moderate pest activity on the shop floor.”
The closure order was lifted on September 28.
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