Eddie Rocket's outlet and Spar deli served with closure orders in January

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Sarah Stack

An Eddie Rocket's outlet was among nine premises served with a closure order last month for breaches in food safety legislation.

The restaurant in Bridgewater Shopping Centre in Arklow, Co Wicklow, and the delicatessen area of Spar on Douglas Street, Cork, were both closed for one day only in January by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Alan Reilly, FSAI chief executive, said standards must not be permitted to slip to such levels in food businesses that consumer health is put at risk.

“It is not acceptable for any food business to potentially put their customers’ health at risk,” he said.

“Every food business should be striving to meet the high food safety and hygiene standards that the majority of food businesses achieve on a daily basis."

The FSAI said environmental officers also closed the Long Thanh take away on North Strand Road, Dublin 3, for one day in January, while Fei’s Garden Restaurant, Balbriggan, Co Dublin was closed for two days; the Adana Char Grill restaurant on Cornmarket Row, Limerick, was closed for a week; and Kebabish Original on Richmond Street South, Dublin 2, shut for ten days.

Elsewhere closure orders remain in place on Afghan Grill and Kebab on Richmond Street South, Dublin 2 (since Jan 19th); the old bottle and ice store room part of the Swan Bar in Swanlinbar, Cavan (since Jan 30th); and a fruit & vegetable processing premises occupied by Mohammad in Delvin, Westmeath (since Jan 29th).

A small meat manufacturing plant, Gerry Joyce Meats, in Castlebar, Co Mayo, was also hit with a prohibition order for eight days, while officials prosecuted Hughie Byrne of Hughie’s Bar in Kingscourt, Cavan, following the seizure of counterfeit Smirnoff Red Label vodka in December 2013.

He was fined €7,000 and ordered to pay costs of €2,000 after pleading guilty to four offences in court.

Successful court action was also brought against the Smoke House restaurant in Killarney, Co Kerry; Ruposhi Indian Restaurant in Drumcondra, Dublin 9; Saffron Tandoori take away in Cabra; and Quinn pub in Drumcondra for breaches identified last year.

Prof Reilly said the integrity and safety of the food chain is based on robust enforcement of labelling and traceability systems.

“Incidents such as the sale of counterfeit vodka are an unacceptable breach of consumer trust and serve to undermine confidence in the food and drink industry as a whole,” he added.

“Businesses that sell or serve alcoholic drinks should be particularly careful that they only accept genuine drinks from reliable suppliers.

“Consumers have an absolute right to know what they are buying, and we will not hold back in pursuing any food business that attempts to mislead customers through the sale of counterfeit products."