A temporary closure order was served on a takeaway restaurant in Killarney in November for breaches of food safety legislation, the Food Safety Authority has reported.
The Golden Dragon Chinese Takeaway on Tralee Road, operated by Mr Jian Chen, was one of 10 businesses nationwide to be served with enforcement orders following inspections by HSE personnel.
The closure order was enforced on November 10th and removed on November 16th.
The inspection report issued by the Food Safety Authority revealed a heavy rodent infestation in a number of areas on the Golden Dragon premises and reported that there was evidence that food had become contaminated with rodent droppings and subsequently placed on the market.
There was also evidence of mouse droppings and chewed plastic packaging in a storage area/disused toilet, heavy deposits of mouse droppings behind a fridge and freezer in the main kitchen and evidence of mouse droppings behind a freezer and shelving in a dry goods store.
The inspector also noted that there was a failure to keep storage areas and floor surfaces beneath equipment clean and there was ample harborage for rodents within the premises, including a boxed conduit for waste pipework, which was opened at one end, above false ceilings and within storage areas which hadn’t been cleaned.
The Food Safety Authority reported that pest proofing on the premises was not adequate, there was a gap beneath the front door which would allow access by small rodents and there was a hole in a false ceiling panel in the dry goods store.
It was also reported that the rear door of the premises remained open at the time of inspection even though there was building work going on outside and above.
10 enforcement orders were served on food businesses during the month of November for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.
Food Safety Authority chief executive, Dr Pamela Byrne, emphasised the need for all food businesses to take responsibility and commit to their legal obligation to comply with food law, ensuring that there is a strong food safety culture in their business.
“Every food business must have a food safety management system in place to protect consumers’ health and prevent instances,” she said.
“Each business must also have a positive food safety culture embedded within it. Failure to comply with basic food safety legal requirements is not only a potential risk to public health, but also a risk to the food business’s reputation if things go wrong,” Dr Byrne added.
“Several of the Enforcement Orders in November also detail problems with pest infestations. These must be prevented by always having robust pest control systems in place but especially during these colder winter months”.
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