Closure order served on County Roscommon food business

A County Roscommon food business was served with a closure order in December by the HSE, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

The closure order was served on Sausage Paradise (butcher shop), Pound Street, Ballaghaderreen on December 13th last.

The closure order required that "all of the premises be closed as the internal and external surfaces of the outdoor cooking - smoke house were constructed of chip board that posed a risk of contamination to food".

HSE Environmental Health inspectors also found that there were "no wash up sinks or dishwasher provided for the washing and sanitation of food equipment or crockery. There was no wash hand basin and no hand wash facilities for food workers to wash their hands after handling raw meat.

According to inspectors the hanging structure in the outdoor cooking house for the sausages "was not food grade and posed a risk of contamination to food. There was no probe thermometer, no maintenance of the chill chain, no temperature monitoring, no record keeping and no food safety management system provided based on the principles of HACCP. There was no food traceability, no labelling information provided on any of the pork products sold on the food premises. "

The premises was "not pest proof, there were gaps in the external walls of the building and holes in the ceiling. There was no pest control plan or contract to prevent pest entry to the building and outdoor cooking - smoke house. There was no allergen information provided for any food products provided for sale to consumers."

Between January 1st and December 31st last a total of 76 Closure Orders, 3 Improvement Orders and 13 Prohibition Orders were served on food businesses nationally.

Commenting on the annual figures, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said that she had hoped to see a reduction in the number of Enforcement Orders needing to be served in 2023. “Disappointingly, this was not the case. As a result of the inspections carried out by Environmental Health Officers, local authority veterinary inspectors, sea-fisheries protection officers and FSAI officers, a total of 92 food businesses were served with legal orders for breaches of food safety law in 2023.

The FSAI also reported today, Thursday, that four Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order were served on food businesses during the month of December 2023 for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive.