Blackrock takeaway served closure order after ‘large amount of rodent droppings’ found

Temporary closure orders on five food business in June included an Apache Pizza outlet in Blackrock, Dublin, and an operation in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has said.

The reasons cited for issuing the orders included evidence of rodents; a lack of understanding of food safety regulations being shown by staff; a lack of adequate labelling and undeclared allergen information; and inadequate cleaning facilities. The enforcement orders were issued by Health Service Executive environmental health officers on foot of reports from the authority’s inspectors.

The Apache Pizza outlet on Main Street in Blackrock received a closure notice after an inspector noted “a large amount of rodent droppings” in the food storage area. The inspector said adequate measures had not been taken to thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces where rodent activity had been noted.

At Han Lin Palace, on Bridge Street in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, the authority said there was no suitable means of cleaning and disinfecting cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery. The inspector found the dishwasher was not working and one side of the double sink assigned to cleaning was inaccessible as it was designated for food preparation. The inspection was carried out on June 1st and the authority noted that the premises had been under new management since June 18th.

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The Roma takeaway on Main Street in Portarlington, Co Laois, was closed for what the inspector said was “persistent and recurring failure to comply with the legislation” and “failure of the food business operator to effectively address non-compliances to prevent recurrence”. The inspector said the outlet failed to identify food-safety hazards including the risk of contamination to food from the storage of personal belongings, inadequate standards of cleaning in the food preparation areas and the presence of undeclared allergens in foods being sold.

In relation to the Hudson Rooms in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, the inspector issued closure notices for the kitchen, first-floor bar area and stores due to evidence of “current rodent activity”. The closure orders were served on Elite Gastrobars Ltd. A second closure order was made on the Hudson Rooms’ ground-floor bar and indoor seating area due to evidence of an infestation of mice. The authority said the purpose of the second order was “to ensure entire food operation has ceased”.

One prosecution was also taken by the HSE last month in relation to the Freestyle Buffet on North Main Street, Cork.

Dr Pamela Byrne, the authority’s chief executive, said food business owners had a duty to their customers and it was “unacceptable that staff are unaware of their responsibilities as food handlers”.