Ice-cream shop in Clare hit with closure order after discovery of rodent droppings

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that eight Closure Orders and two Prohibition Orders were served on food business in June for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the HSE.

Among the four premises served Closure Orders under the FSAI Act, 1998 was Doolin Ice Cream on Fisher Street in Doolin, County Clare. Only part of the premises was closed as part of the order and that was the food store, located in the yard.

The report states that the reasons for the order were as follows: "A significant number of rodent droppings were observed in the food store, located in a shed in the yard. The droppings were noted in a box containing lids for smoothie cups. The plastic wrapping covering the lids was damaged due to gnawing by rodents and droppings were noted within the plastic wrapping on the lids. Droppings were found on a shelf located directly beside boxes of cone wafers.

"The absence of rodent proofing of the food business as evidenced by the sliding doors leading into the food store were open and unattended at the time of the visit. The absence of a pest control plan and monitoring records for the food business.
A build-up of building rubble and miscellaneous items was noted in the old shed in the yard. This area could be potential harbourage for rodents and should be removed. The food business including the food store was not adequately pest/rodent proofed due the presence of rodent droppings noted in areas of the food store."

The report concluded: "The lack of cleaning and sanitizing in the food store as evidenced by rodent droppings located in many
areas of the food store. A grave and immediate danger to food safety exists in the food premises due to rodent activity and lack of cleaning."

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Other premises issued Closure Orders under the FSAI Act, 1998 included:

• Wee Care (RTÉ Creche) (Closed area: kitchen and staff canteen only), RTE, Donnybrook, Dublin 4
• All Bar Chicken Coolock (Service Sector), 10A, Ringuard House, Malahide Road Industrial Estate, Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin 17
• Il Vicolo (Restaurant/ Café), Bridge Mills, O'Briens Bridge, Galway

A further four premises were served Closure Orders under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. These included: 

• Tunisian Halal Butcher, located at Unit 8, Aldi Centre, St Margarets Road, Finglas, Dublin 11
• Zone Activity Centre (Closed activity: Part of the activities of the business, its establishments, holdings, or other premises be ceased. The food stall activity located in the carpark at Zone Activity Centre) (Restaurant/ Café), Unit 1& 2, Mullaghboy Industrial Estate, Mullaghboy, Navan, Meath
• Frenchpark Service Station (Closed area: The rear store room that is used to store foodstuffs), Dublin Road, Frenchpark, Roscommon
• Fresh Today (Closed activity: This closure order applies to the decanting and repacking of foodstuffs on the premises for retail to the final consumer, with the exception of fruit and vegetables) (Retailer), Athboy Road, Trim, Meath

Additionally, one Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Ballymaguire Foods Unlimited Company (Other Composite Processing), Rathmooney, Lusk, County Dublin

The FSAI has said that some of the reasons for these Enforcement Orders last month include: "significant number of rodent droppings discovered in a kitchen and in a staff canteen; absence of rodent proofing; significant number of rodent droppings observed in a box containing lids for smoothie cups; no water supply provided for hand washing or to clean and disinfect utensils and to hygienically wash food; lack of adequate and regular cleaning; pooling water from defrosting fish mixed with blood and raw meat on the floor of a walk in chiller; no cleaning agents or detergent for cleaning and sanitising; large quantities of cooked and raw high risk foods stored at incorrect temperatures; food likely contaminated with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes; inadequate layout, design, size and construction of food preparation area."

Commenting on the publication of Wednesday's report, Chief Executive of the FSAI, Greg Dempsey said: "Every food business has a legal responsibility to ensure the food they produce is safe to eat. Failures like poor hygiene, pest activity, and improper storage are basic errors that can have severe consequences to public health.

"Food safety isn’t optional, it’s essential. While we understand the daily pressures on businesses, food safety and hygiene standards must be maintained at all times. A robust food safety management system not only protects public health, but it also supports the long-term success of the food business. Non-compliance with food law is not tolerated and enforcement action will be taken where standards fall short."