The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has reported that two Closure Orders were served on food businesses during September for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The Closure Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the HSE.
Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in September include a repeated failure to cook duck spring rolls thoroughly; food safety management procedures were not implemented; significant build-up of food debris, spillages and engrained dirt on the floor in the cooked/ready-to eat foods preparation area; the layout and size of the premises did not permit adequate separation between raw and ready-to-eat food handling operations; no designated sink was provided for washing food such as the vegetables used in the preparation of ready-to-eat coleslaw.
FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne said: "Consumers have a right to safe food. Under food law, it is the legal responsibility of food businesses to ensure the safety of the food they sell to the consumer is safe to eat. All food businesses must establish and regularly review a food safety management system to prevent instances of non-compliance and violations of food safety regulations such as these, which are only imposed when a significant risk to consumer health has been identified or when there are persistent, severe violations of food regulations."
Also, during September, one prosecution was taken by the HSE in relation to a food supplements business.
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.