FSAI issues closure orders
disappointment that three closure orders have already been served
by environmental health officers (EHOs) due to breaches of food
safety legislation this year. "Three closure orders in one month
is not a good start to the year," said Peter Whelan, director
of service contracts at FSAI.
Whelan said that Irish food businesses must realise that the future of their business lies in their own hands. "They cannot expect the regulators to protect their operations for them," he said. "Enforcement powers are used when there is, or is likely to be, a serious threat to public health and are not used for minor infringements. This degree of non-compliance can not be tolerated, and no excuses are accepted."
The FSAI says that most orders are served because of the same easily preventable faults - dirty premises, unhygienic practices, untrained staff, pest infestation and cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods.
"Consumers have to be confident that that the food they are eating is prepared in a hygienic manner," said Whelan. "Food safety legislation sets minimum standards which industry must comply with."
Closure and improvement orders will remain listed on the FSAI website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with prohibition orders being listed for a period of one month.
Closure orders are served when it is deemed, upon inspection, that there is, or is likely to be, a grave and immediate danger to public health. The details of the food businesses served with these orders are published on the FSAI's website.
Last year, a total of 35 closure orders were served on Irish food businesses. The FSAI is hoping that 2004 will see a reduction in the number of enforced closures on the grounds of food safety and hygiene.
