6% decrease in Enforcement Orders

106 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches in food safety legislation in 2015 compared with 113 in 2014, according to The Food Safety Authority of Ireland, a decrease of 6%.

Between 1st January and 31st December 2015, enforcement officers served 90 Closure Orders and 16 Prohibition Orders on food businesses throughout the country.

Commenting on the annual figures FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne warned that the types of reasons cited for Closure Orders are recurring reasons and easily avoidable. They are simple errors that should not be happening in any food business, she said.

Food businesses need to have the proper systems in place to ensure that the food they are preparing or serving is safe to eat.

The types of recurring food safety issues which lead to Closure Orders are:

 

*         poor cleaning and sanitation of premises

*         poor personal hygiene

*         lack of running water

*         inadequate hand-washing facilities

*         incorrect food storage

*         lack of or ineffective pest control programme

*         structural problems arising from lack of ongoing maintenance

*         lack of or inadequate food safety management system.

 

During December 2015, the preparation and service of foods at John Doyles pub on Phibsborough Road in Dublin 7 numbered among seven Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation.