There was a 31% increase of Food Safety Enforcement Orders issued to businesses in 2013, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). 143 breaches in food safety legislation were recorded, up from 109 in 2012.
The action taken in 2013 consisted of 119 Closure Orders, 4 Improvement Orders and 20 Prohibition Orders nationwide, compared with 91 Closure Orders, 3 Improvement Orders and 15 Prohibition Orders issued in 2012.
Along with these figures, the FSAI took the opportunity to highlight it's zero tolerance policy to breaches of food safety laws, reminding food businesses that immediate and tough action will be taken if legal obligations are not met.
Commenting on the annual figures, Prof. Alan Reilly, Chief Executive of the FSAI said, “Every Enforcement Order is one too many and it is extremely disappointing that, yet again, we have seen a significant year-on-year increase in the number of Enforcement Orders needing to be served, making the 2013 figures the highest number of enforcements to date.
"The increase is extremely disappointing and serves as an unfortunate reminder that some food businesses continue to put their customer’s health at risk by not complying with their legal obligations of food safety and hygiene. There is absolutely no excuse for negligent food practices.”
Details of the food businesses served with these Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Karis Copp
