LIVE: Popular Tipperary takeaway served with closure order for second time in two years
Panda Chinese Take Away in Clogheen was served the closure order under the European Union Regulations 2020
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has revealed that 133 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation in 2024, an increase of 45% on the 92 that were served in 2023.
Three of these Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on on three restaurants in the country including Panda Chinese Take Away, Main Street, Clogheen, Tipperary.
The report outlined that there were deposits of grease, dirt and food debris on a number of surfaces including including the main kitchen floor, walls and wall/floor junctions throughout the premises as well as on equipment surfaces and on plastic containers and saucepans.
Mouse droppings were also found in food preparation areas and storage rooms, the electric fly killer had not been cleaned and the report also stated that: "There was no evidence to show that pest monitoring had been carried out since February 2024."
This is the second time since November 2022 that the popular takeaway has been issued with a Closure Order under the FSAI Act, 1998, and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.
The FSAI outlined the importance of robust food safety management systems and stressed that the legal responsibility lies with food businesses to ensure that they appropriately train staff to produce, serve and sell food that is safe to eat, and ensure that their premises are clean and adequately pest proofed.
Between January 1 and December 31, 2024, 115 Closure Orders, 16 Prohibition Orders and 2 Improvement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive, sea-fisheries protection officers in the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and inspectors in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on food businesses throughout the country.
A number of recurring food safety issues identified in food businesses resulted in Enforcement Orders being issued, including a lack of pest control procedures; inadequate regular and thorough cleaning; failure to maintain correct temperatures of foodstuffs, unsuitable food storage facilities; and inadequate staff training in relation to food safety and hygiene.
Some of the reasons for the Closure Orders in December include: inadequate pest control measures in place, the presence of fresh rat droppings and decomposed rat carcass. Other issues included live cockroaches on walls, floors and in a sticky trap.
Orders were issued for having a dirty premises, with accumulation of food debris, grease, dirt, and rat faeces, live and dead cockroaches throughout the food storage and preparation areas and ready-to-eat foods being incorrectly stored as well as a complete lack of cleaning.
Disorganisation in the storage of food and non-food-related equipment hindering adequate cleaning and disinfection were also issues and no evidence of a food safety management system in place.
Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie.