The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has reported that ten Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses during August for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive and officers of the FSAI.
Four Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998, on food businesses, five Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020, and one Prohibition Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020.
Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in August include: serious flooding in the basement, with damp and mould on the walls; filthy and flooded staff toilets; a defective ice machine leaking down the stairwell into the basement; bags of ice stored in non-food grade plastic bags, risking contamination; bird faeces and dead flies found in multiple locations throughout the premises; evidence of rodent activity in the cold room and freezer room, with inadequate pest control procedures in place; a leaking roof; food stored at unsafe temperatures, with a lack of temperature monitoring records; a failure to provide hot running water at sinks, risking contamination of food and food contact materials; the sale of unauthorised products; a business had not been approved by a competent authority, where it was not possible to verify compliance with food safety legislation; a lack of allergen information, both online and onsite; staff not effectively trained or supervised with regards to food safety and best practice.
FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne said: "Warmer weather can bring challenges, and both food businesses and staff must be attentive to potential issues, whether this be increased insect activity or issues with temperature controls. Food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure that hot and cold food is prepared with care and then stored appropriately, maintaining the hot or cold chain throughout preparation, storage and point of sale.
“Incidents of flooding were recorded in some of the August Enforcement Orders. These pose a serious threat to public health. Flood water that has entered your food business may have been contaminated with sewage, animal and other waste from drains or surrounding areas. There is then a substantial risk of onward contamination of food, equipment and food contact surfaces with harmful bacteria or even chemicals. Following flooding and the subsequent clean-up operation, it is advisable to speak to your local Environmental Health Officer for more advice before re-opening,” said Dr Byrne.
If you require Food Safety/HACCP training for your staff, a Food Safety/HACCP system specifically designed for your food business or Food Safety advice, please contact SafeHands by phone on 01-7979836 or mobile on 0873823223, email info@safehands.ie or visit our website https://www.safehands.ie.