Ashbourne catering company served closure order last month

An Ashbourne based catering company was shut down by the Food Safety Authority last month.

Royal Caterers, Ashbourne Business Centre, Ballybin Road, Ashbourne had their closure order imposed on 22nd March and lifted on 3rd April.

The FSA found dirt and food debris on walls, floors, doors and equipment in the facility, which meant the company failed to maintain the food premises in a hygienic condition. They said it may "pose a risk of contamination of foodstuffs, resulting in a risk to health".

The Authority also found that procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles were not put in place or implemented, such as "there was no monitoring of foodstuffs at critical control points to ensure maintenance of the cold chain and there was no evidence of the safe preparation, cooking and chilling of foodstuffs".

The FSA also found the food handlers to be not adequately supervised, instructed or trained in food safety and hygiene. The Authority stated: "The lack of food safety knowledge and supervision by food workers on the premises poses a risk to food safety and may result in unsafe food being placed on the market resulting in a risk to health."

Another eight food businesses were shut down by the FSA during March.

Addressing these food businesses who had breached the legislation of food safety, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said: “March saw a high number of Enforcement Orders and some of the reasons listed demonstrate totally inadequate hygiene standards.

"Consumers have a right to safe food and this legal obligation sits with the food business operators. These food businesses are damaging the reputation of the food industry as a whole and can impact the trust that consumers have in the food they eat.

She added: "Environmental Health Officers, who inspect these food businesses, continue to encounter cases where consumers’ health is put at risk particularly through a failure to comply with hygiene requirements, pest control and food safety training requirements, which is unacceptable."