A restaurant in Dublin was forced to close last month after a dead rat was found under a dishwasher in its kitchen.
Kimchi Hop House on Parnell Street was required to cease trading for nearly three weeks after inspectors discovered the rat as well as dropping in the kitchen, sushi kitchen and service area as well as on a window sill beside a fridge.
A total of 11 closure orders and two prohibition orders were served to food businesses last month for breaches of food safety legislation, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
Poor hygiene, foul odours and pest control failures were among the reasons given by HSE inspectors for the closure orders to businesses operating in five counties.
Diamond Pizza in Drumcondra was closed after an inspector found a build up of mould in a chill unit as well as a lack of hot water in the food preparation area and defective drainage in the wash area.
They found no evidence of a food safety management system and observed no hand washing and poor hygiene among staff during the inspection.
A staff member was also seen picking up a rodent monitoring bait box and putting it back down before proceeding without washing their hands or changing their gloves.
A large number of flies were noted in several of locations and crawling inspects were seen in a pool of stagnant, dirty water, and there was no evidence of a pest management system in place.
Inspectors noted rodent activity at the West Wing restaurant at the N17 Business Park in Tuam, Co Galway and the Corrib Oil Spar Express in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, The Crescent Stores in Clonmel, Co Tipperary and the Camile Thai outlet in Dolphin’s Barn, leading to the closures of those businesses.
There was also rodent activity witnessed at The Lunch Bag in the Educate Together School in Clontarf and Nua Bia in Ballymun, and both businesses are still to reopen.
Cellar 22 and Floritz on St Stephen’s Green was also required to stop vacuum packing beef tartare in a machine designated for raw foods, which creates a risk of cross-contamination.
Prohibition orders were served to Foodliner Supermarket in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon and Lucaci Fast Travel in Cabra.
The former was ordered to take chicken legs and frozen meat off sale due to a lack of supplier traceability, and the latter was required to destroy bags of frozen meat, cream liquids, pickled vegetables and wine that were not properly identified.
“October’s Enforcement Orders once again highlight the importance of maintaining strong food safety and hygiene practices across all food businesses,” said Greg Dempsey, CEO of the FSAI.
“Issues such as inadequate pest control, poor cleaning standards and unsafe food storage continue to be the main reasons for enforcement action. These are entirely preventable non-compliances when proper food safety management systems are in place.
11 food businesses were served with closure orders last month.
“While the majority of food businesses take their legal responsibilities very seriously, we continue to see a small number of businesses subject to enforcement action, including closure, due to their non-compliances with basic food safety standards.”
“With the busy Christmas period fast approaching, we are reminding food businesses to start preparing now so that they have robust food safety procedures in place to deal with increased demands and pressures on their business. Food safety must always be their top priority,” he added.
Photo: Kimchi Hop House on Parnell Street. (Pic: Google Maps)
