Offaly shop had human waste overflowing from manhole

A Co Offaly shop and takeaway with human waste overflowing from a manhole in a staff toilet was among 11 businesses issued with closure orders last month.

The waste was found to be overflowing into a room storing food contact equipment adjacent to a food preparation area at the Village Shop & Takeaway in Mountbolus.

Inspectors from the Food and Safety Authority (FSAI) said the conditions provided a “direct opportunity for pathogenic bacteria likely present in human waste to contaminate food or food preparation areas, rendering it unsafe”.

They added this posed a “grave and immediate risk to public health”.

Elsewhere, Diwali Restaurant on South Great Georges Street in Dublin 2 was also issued with a closure order due to a significant cockroach infestation throughout the kitchen food preparation areas.

Inspectors said they found cockroaches present at all stages of their life cycle, while multiple dead cockroaches were also noted throughout the kitchen food preparation areas.

At Babylon Restaurant in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, a dead rodent was found behind equipment in close proximity to food products in an upstairs production kitchen.

Rodent droppings were also found under a disused dishwasher in the upstairs production kitchen

At a mobile food unit called Canteen Street Food in Damastown Park on the Damastown Road in Parslickstown, Dublin 15, inspectors found there no means of carrying out effective cleaning.

As a result, surfaces and equipment were in a dirty condition.

“Due to the lack of water to the unit, there was no means of carrying out effective cleaning and sanitising of surfaces, fittings and equipment in contact with food,” inspectors said.

Chief Executive of the FSAI Greg Dempsey said the issues identified in the orders were “deeply concerning” and demonstrated “serious failures” in basic food safety controls.

He said: “We continue to see cases where essential requirements, including effective cleaning, pest control, safe food handling practices, staff training and food safety management systems, are not being properly implemented.

“These are not optional measures; they are legal requirements that every food business must have in place to protect consumers.

“Where businesses fail to meet these fundamental standards and public health is at risk, enforcement action will continue to be taken.”

Six Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Diwali (Restaurant/Café), Unit 1 Castle House, 73-83 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2
• The Village Shop & Takeaway (Take Away), Mountbolus, Offaly
• Babylon Restaurant (Take Away), 92-93 Irishtown, Clonmel, Tipperary
• The mobile food unit trading as Canteen Street Food (Service Sector-Other), Damastown Park, Damastown Road, Parslickstown, Dublin 15
• India Dining (Restaurant/Café), Prospect House, Church Street, Wicklow
• Roots Health Food, food stall trading at Salthill & Monkstown Dart Station (Service Sector/Other), Longford Terrace, Monkstown, Blackrock, County Dublin

Five Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Chicken Club (Take Away), 1 The Square, Listowel, Kerry
• Sheela Palace (Restaurant/Café), Ballyowen Shopping Centre, Castle Road, Lucan, County Dublin
• Deli Gold – Grill House (Restaurant/Café), 3b Hyde Court, Townsend Street, Dublin 2
• Elm Tree Farm Food Stall, trading at Clonmel Show (Retailer/Other), Powerstown Park Racecourse, Clonmel, Tipperary
• Sushimi (Closed activity: The preparation and sale of Sushi in the shared kitchen on the first floor of 62 Mary Street, Dublin) (Restaurant/Café), 62 Mary Street, Dublin 1

One Prohibition Order was served under FSAI Act 1998 on:

• Ocras (Foods of Non-Animal Origin Processing) Unit H West Cork Business & Technology Park, Clonakilty, Cork

One Prohibition Order was served under European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

• Rebel Ice Cream (Wholesaler/Distributor-Other), Unit 4 Cherrywood Business Park, Harbour Point, Little Island, Cork