Saturday, 13 August 2022 | 25.9°C Dublin

Live rats, rodent droppings, filthy conditions and poor hygiene standards were cited as some of the reasons for enforced closures of four food businesses last month, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

T he food safety watchdog issued four closure orders and eight prohibition orders for breaches of legislation.

Bamboo Foods Ltd, located on the Ramelton Road in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, was issued with a closure order for failure to have “adequate procedures in place to control pests” which led to a “serious risk of food being contaminated with pathogens, bacteria likely to render the food unfit for human consumption ... Live rats were sighted in the rear yard of the premises and fresh droppings were sighted within the food business,” according to a report from HSE health inspectors.

Rodent droppings were also cited as the reason for the closure of Superfruit at Cork’s famous English Market.

Inspectors found “extensive rodent dropping were noted under display units on the shop floor” as well as “a large amount of monkey nuts were observed with marks similar to pest gnawing”.

Inspectors found a box of monkey nuts on display on the shop floor had “holes similar to gnawing by rodents” and “monkey nut debris within the display box with similar gnaw marks”. Inspectors said such conditions presented “a grave and immediate danger to public health”.

Two food outlets located in Dublin’s inner city were also issued with closure orders.

The Doson takeaway on Dorset Street Lower was found to be in a “filthy condition” while a “very poor standard of basic hygiene and cleanliness observed in the food premises posed a risk of contamination”.

Rat droppings were also found in the takeaway’s food storage area in the basement with “numerous gaps and holes” in the basement which inspectors described as being in a poor state of repair.

The Zing by Chaska restaurant and cafe on Marlborough Street was also served with a closure order after the kitchen was found to be in a “filthy condition”, while “rodent droppings were found to be on the floor behind the free-standing fridges in the kitchen where food was prepared.

Eight prohibition orders, which are under appeal, were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

Three of the four closure orders were lifted last month, including The Zing on July 22, Superfruit on the same day and Bamboo on July 27.

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The closure order has not been lifted on Doson.

FSAI chief Dr Pamela Byrne said the authority “has emphasised the importance of vigorous pest-control systems which should be facilitated” in all businesses.

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