The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) yesterday obtained a High Court order to shut a Chinese restaurant that had continued to operate for five months after it was told to close because of serious public health concerns.
The business, Any Other Restaurant, Moore Street, Dublin, operated by Mr Andy Wang and Ms Miao Hong, was the subject of a closure order last May, after environmental health inspectors found conditions to be a "grave and immediate danger to public health".
Yesterday, the FSAI said it had sought the High Court order following "the repeated non-compliance" with the May closure order.
It has also obtained undertakings to remain closed from a further two Chinese restaurants, Cold Noodle, Moore Street, Dublin, and The Great Wall, Kileely, Limerick.
Both restaurants were reported to have continued to operate despite previous closure orders.
The FSAI has been targeting the Chinese restaurant sector, which has one of the poorest records in food safety.
Language barriers are considered to be a particular problem, in the sector which now numbers nearly 6,500 restaurants and takeaways.
Earlier this year the authority introduced a food safety training programme in Cantonese and Mandarin and 10 restaurants have taken part so far.
Chinese food outlets now account for one quarter of all closure orders and four in 10 of all improvement orders. Yesterday, the FSAI warned that it was willing to use legal powers in the future with any food outlet which did not comply with its orders.
Mr Alan O'Reilly, deputy chief executive of the FSAI, said breach of closure orders was the exception, rather than the rule.
"The FSAI believes that the full force of the law should be brought into effect when food businesses put consumers' health at risk.
"Closure orders are only served when there is deemed to be a grave and immediate danger to public health and they are not issued for minor infringements.
"Standards have fallen to a very low level when enforcement officers have to resort to using these powers."