A busy Dublin newsagent was served with a closure order last month after a dead rat was discovered under its deli counter.
The Londis store on Grafton Street was closed on September 18th but reopened a day later.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the rat was found in a tap under the ground floor deli.
“The presence of rats in a food business can pose a risk to public health by the threat of infectious diseases,” it said.
The closure order was one of 10 delivered by the FSAI last month. It also issued one Prohibition Order.
Five closure orders were served under Irish legislation:
- Pastel King (Restaurant/Café), 22/23 Moore Street, Dublin 1
- Oriental Pantry Supermarket Limited (Retailer), 22/23 Moore Street, Dublin 1
- Noor Foods (Butcher Shop), 10 Church Street, Dundalk, Louth
- Stela Food Stores (Retailer), Unit 8, Ringwood Centre, Damastown Close, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15
- Londis (Retailer), 49 Grafton Street, Dublin 2
Another five were served under European legislation:
- Taste of India (Take Away), 39 Main Street Lower, Letterkenny, Donegal
- Jesels Ltd (Manufacturer), Unit 3a, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dublin Road, Dunshaughlin, Meath
- Tsangs Restaurant (Take Away), Littlepace Shopping Centre, Clonee, Dublin 15
- Lal Quila (Restaurant/ Café), Douglas Village, Douglas, Cork
- East Oriental (Take Away), Unit 5, Brabazon Hall, Ardee Street, Dublin 8
The Prohibition Order, which bans the sale of produce for a certain amount of time, was served on:
- MJI Meats 2595 (Small Meat Manufacturing Plant), Unit 6, Enterprise Centre, Ballyhaunis, Mayo
Inspectors found evidence of a mice infestation at the Pastel King Restaurant and Oriental Pantry supermarket on Moore Street in Dublin – with droppings found “throughout the premises.”
They also warned that hygiene standards throughout the restaurant were “extremely poor.”
Evidence of rodent activity was also found throughout the premises at Jesels sweet manufacturing and packaging plant in county Meath.
Some of the reasons given for the other orders included staff failing to wash their hands while cooking, re-mincing of expired meats, inaccurate allergen information, dirty cloths used to clean food areas and food being left at room temperature.
FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said the number of enforcement orders for rodent-related incidents and poor hygiene standards is disconcerting.
“Food businesses must ensure that proper pest control systems are in place to ensure satisfactory hygiene standards,” she said.
“Incidents involving rodents in food preparation areas are not acceptable.
“It is the responsibility of all food business operators to ensure that their premises are fully compliant with food safety legislation, in the interests of their customers and their businesses.
“Consumers need to have confidence that the food they purchase has been produced to the highest standards.”
You can find details of the enforcement orders here.
