Six food businesses were served with closure orders in March for breaches of food safety laws.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said environmental health officers at the Health Service Executive (HSE)also served one prohibition order on a food business in March.
Three closure orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on Lebanese Tapas restaurant and café, 21-22 Blackrock Market, Co Dublin; Gunnings grocery, Rathconrath, Co Westmeath, and China Tower restaurant/café, Main Street, Ballybofey, Co Donegal.
Three closure orders were also served under EU foodstuffs regulations, on Hailan Asian Cuisine Restaurant, 2 Mahers Terrace, Main Street, Dundrum, Dublin 14; Plaza Inn takeaway, 7 Sundrive Road, Dublin 12, and Indiana restaurant/café, 22 Main Street, Gorey, Co Wexford.
The orders against Gunnings, Lebanese Tapas and Hailan Asian Cuisine were later lifted.
Separately, a prohibition order was served on Rene Cusack Ltd, a fish processing business at the Food Centre, Raheen Industrial Estate, Co Limerick.
The HSE took a successful prosecution on March 1st against Cliffords Bar, Crookstown, Co Cork for breaches of EU food hygiene legislation. Donal Clifford of the pub was fined €1,200.
FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said the legal responsibility for producing food that was safe to eat rested with food businesses.
“Enforcement orders and most especially closure orders and prohibition orders are served on food businesses only when a serious risk to consumer health has been identified or where there are a number of ongoing serious breaches of food legislation,” she said.
Dr Byrne said enforcement orders were not served for minor breaches and that food inspectors had “a range of other powers” they could use to deal with those.
If food business owners were unsure of what was required of them by law, they could contact the FSAI for advice at info@fsai.ie or visit the website fsai.ie