The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has announced that 106 Enforcement Orders were served on Irish food businesses for breaches of food legislation in 2015, a decrease of 6% on the 113 served in 2014.
Between January 1 and December 31 2015, enforcement officers served 90 Closure Orders and 16 Prohibition Orders on food businesses in total.
The FSAI has welcomed the reduction in numbers but has reminded food businesses of the onus of them to act responsibly and ensure the food they serve and sell is safe to consume.
It reports that the recurring food safety issues that lead to Closure Orders range from poor cleaning and sanitation of premises, to not having running water and adequate hand washing facilities, as well as incorrect food storage and either poor or a lack of pest control.
Problems also commonly occur when businesses don't have ongoing maintenance, which leads to structural problems, or when they lack an adequate food safety management system.
It also warned that food businesses that do not have food safety management systems in place and fail to meet their legal obligations could expect to face swift action from enforcement officers.
Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne commented, “There is absolutely no excuse for negligent food practices. The types of reasons cited for Closure Orders are recurring reasons and easily avoidable.
“They are simple errors that should not be happening in any food business,” she said.
In December 2015, seven Closure Orders were served on food businesses, along with one Prohibition Order, under the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.
