Food safety enforcement orders issued
By Laura Lyne
TWO local businesses were issued with food safety enforcement orders in December, despite Food Safety Ireland announcing a six per cent decrease in the number of food safety enforcement orders in 2015.
The first enforcement order was issued to Safco Fine Foods, based in Cookstown Business Centre, on December 11.
It was a prohibition order and related to the withdrawal of products in cold rooms and soup stocks.
The second enforcement order was issued to JDs on Main Street in Rathcoole on December 22 and was lifted on January 8.
It was a closure order under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010.
Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of FSAI said: “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. Food businesses need to have the proper systems in place to ensure that the food they are preparing or serving is safe to eat.
“While most food businesses follow high standards and are compliant with food safety legislation, we continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is put at risk through a lack of compliance.”
