Rodent infestations and spider egg sacs among reasons for food closure orders in Dublin, Cork and Waterford – The Irish Times

Rodent infestations, spider egg sacs in food storage areas, inadequate cleaning and mouldy walls were among the reasons restaurants were served with closure orders by the food safety watchdog in April.

In its latest report, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported that environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) served closure orders on a total of five restaurants and food services.

The Lily House on South Square in Rosscarbery, Co Cork; CraftCup, Heather Road, Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18; Yama on Gerald Griffin Street, Blackpool, Cork; the Empoli Restaurant in the Plaza, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin; and Dooly’s Fish and Chips at the Waterford & Tramore Racecourse were all served with closure orders, with some lifted within 48 hours and others still in place.

Yama was found to have an accumulation of grease and food debris within and to the back wall of the wok station in the main kitchen. Touch points within the kitchen and ancillary areas were greasy and dirty.

Grease, debris and mould particles were noted on the door of the staff toilet and rear yard, while cobwebs and spider egg sacs were noted at high levels in the rear preparation kitchen. The closure order was served on April 23rd and lifted two days later.

There was an active rodent infestation noted in the Lily House food storeroom and kitchen, with rodent droppings in multiple areas of both, and the inspector also noted that the premises was not maintained in a clean condition. The order had not yet been lifted at the time the report was issued by the FSAI.

Rodent droppings were evident in multiple locations of CraftCup, adequate procedures were not in place to control pests and neither were there adequate cleaning and disinfection procedures. The closure order was served on April 15th and lifted on April 28th.

Listed among the reasons for the closure order served on Empoli was an absence of monitoring records for deliveries and for reheating high-risk foods such as chicken. The closure order was served on April 7th and lifted on April 9th.

Dooly’s Fish & Chips – which remained closed, according to the FSAI report – was found not to have been approved by a competent authority for the operations taking place, specifically the manufacture and wholesale of foods of animal origin.

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FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey reminded food businesses of the importance of maintaining robust food safety standards.

“Every food business must have effective food safety management systems in place to ensure that food is stored, prepared and served safely,” he said.

“Cleanliness, pest control, proper staff training and food traceability are fundamental requirements and are essential to protecting public health. Consumers have a right to safe food, and food businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure the food they provide to consumers is safe to eat.”