Fitzwilliam Hotel Group cafe ordered to cease serving beef tartare by food safety watchdog
A Fitzwilliam Hotel Group cafe on St Stephen’s Green was ordered to close and immediately cease serving their beef tartare by The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in October.
On Wednesday, the FSAI reported that environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive served 11 closure orders and two prohibition orders on food businesses last month for breaches of food safety legislation.
The FSAI also conducted one prosecution in October.
Cellar 22 and Floritz, operated by Fitzwilliam Hotel Group Limited on St Stephen’s Green, were issued with a closure order on October 1st after being told to immediately cease the activity of vacuum packing ready-to-eat foods in the raw-designated vacuum packing machine as well as preparing and serving their beef tartare.
The HSE report found the business “failed to implement its HACCP [hazard analysis and critical control point] plan and specialised preparation policy for beef tartare”. It highlighted that “raw meat that might have food poisoning bacteria was not processed as required to ensure it was safe”. They reopened on October 2nd.
The premises occupied by The Lunch Bag Unlimited Company at Killester Raheny, Clontarf Educate Together National School in Clontarf, Dublin 5 was issued with a closure order on October 6th and has not since reopened after evidence of rat activity was found in the food handling areas. Rat droppings were found in the kitchen and in the cleaning equipment store. Food handling staff also confirmed that they had seen a rat in the kitchen.
Kimchi Hop House on Parnell Street, Dublin 1, received a closure order on October 16th when a dead rat was found under the dishwasher in the kitchen. Evidence of rat activity was found as there were droppings in food handling areas such as the kitchen floor, the sushi kitchen and the service area. The premises were reopened on November 4th.
Nua Bia at Poppintree Sports Centre in Ballymun, Dublin 11, received a closure notice on October 3rd, which has not yet been lifted. Mice droppings were found inside presses that were storing opened packs of food and prepacked food, and in a drawer containing utensils and food.
Camile Thai in Dolphin’s Barn, Dublin 8, received a closure order on October 8th after evidence of rodent activity was found in the food handling areas. Rodent droppings were found in the kitchen area, dry goods storage area, the wash-up area and the back kitchen corridor. The premises reopened on October 10th.
Lucaci Fast Travel in Cabra, Dublin 11, was issued with a prohibition order on October 8th after nine unidentified plastic bags of frozen meat, 20 unidentified frozen meats in white polystyrene boxes, six containers of unidentified cream liquids in the fridge, 57 containers of unidentified pickled vegetables, 13 five-litre bottles of unidentified wine or purple-coloured liquid, which could not be verified by staff present and were unlabelled, were found. The premises have not reopened yet.
