Bewley’s on Grafton Street in Dublin was among 10 food businesses served with enforcement orders during January, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The well-known cafe and restaurant was ordered to stop using a vacuum packing machine after an inspector discovered that raw fish was being packed using the same machine where ready-to-go foods, such as egg mayonnaise, were also being processed.
It was decided that the dual use of the machine constituted a significant risk to food becoming contaminated with bacteria and a closure order was issued in respect of the machine.
Other businesses were the subject of closure orders after inspectors noted cockroach infection, rodent activity, damp and mould growth, personal items in food production areas, and surfaces stained and dirty with waste food debris.
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A visit to the Lismore Golf Club, Ballyin Lower, Lismore, Co Waterford found rat droppings in the restaurant kitchen and a trap with no bait surrounded by rat droppings, leading to a closure order.
The closure of the Indian Tiffins restaurant at 143 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, was ordered after inspectors found no monitoring records when they first visited but were shown a full set of records when they returned the following day.
“The completed records that were in place were not consistent with the food that was produced, for example chicken curry that had been cooked and was cooling on the January 21st was not mentioned in the records for that day, and cooked rice that was cooling in the kitchen on January 22nd was not mentioned in the records,” the report said.
The inspectors said the premises had not been kept clean nor maintained in good repair and condition, there was damp and mould in the basement, and there was a layer of congealed dirt at the wall/floor junctions under the counters in the pot wash area and in the kitchen.
The Turk Grill, 23 Grattan Street, Sligo, was ordered closed after an inspector found fried chicken pieces being kept at a temperature that supported the introduction of pathogenic micro-organisms and/or the formation of toxins.
Ella’s Heaven Cafe and Bakery, 95A Talbot Street, Dublin 1, was ordered closed after an inspection found a cockroach infestation.
A premises operated by Balam Ltd, at 114 Boyne Road, the Dublin Industrial Estate, Dublin 11, was ordered closed after an inspection concluded it was a “grave and immediate danger”.
The inspection found the premises was in poor condition, a vacuum packing machine was used for raw pork and for tortillas, a dirty bed sheet was being used to store unpacked tortillas, “a complete lack of cleaning was evident throughout”, and clothes, shoes and a scooter were among personal items noted in the food production area.
“There was no food safety culture within the premises and there was no confidence in management due to the issues highlighted,” the inspectors.
Orders prohibiting the sale of food products were served to the Miner’s Rest pub, Ballingarry, Co Tipperary; La Citadel, Unit 4, Glebeview House, River Mall, Swords, Co Dublin; and T Ventures, Unit 1, Glebeview Housae, River Mall, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin.
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