Flies among food and dirty cooking equipment forced the temporary closure of Tasty Mac’s Takeaway in Falcarragh last month.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland shut the restaurant on Main Street Falcarragh from 16th – 22nd October this year under European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 79 of 2020).
An inspection of the takeaway revealed there was no evidence of a food safety management system, with a failure to follow HACCP principles, posing a risk to consumers.
Dirty conditions and equipment were noted in various locations of the kitchen, including dirty bowls, dirty whisks, a potato peeler “encrusted with layers of first” and ingredient containers also encrusted with dirt.
Raw meat was found stored on top of a pizza dough mixer.
The Environmental Health Officer’s report also noted that “a fly was found within a container of raw burgers”. Flies were also observed in the food preparation area.
“Insect proof screens were not provided on the doors and windows,” the report said.
Other legislation breaches included unclean food preparation surfaces, shelving, interiors of fridges, walls and floors, alongside a lack of cleaning chemicals.
At the time of the inspection, none of the food handling staff were wearing protective clothing or head coverings.
Tasty Mac’s Takeaway in Falcarragh was one of 16 businesses served with enforcement orders by the FSAI last month.
Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said that businesses must operate strict food safety procedures at all times and that they need to be especially vigilant during this particularly busy time of year leading up to Christmas.
Dr Byrne said: “Inadequate pest control measures, filthy premises and unsafe food storage are once again the primary reasons for the Enforcement Orders served in October. A high number of the Enforcement Orders were associated with issues related to pests as well as failures to maintain adequate cleaning. These issues are all preventable and food businesses must ensure that they always adhere to a high standard of food safety and hygiene. It is imperative that every food business has a proper pest control system in place and that this is checked very regularly to avoid infestations of rodents and insects. With the busy Christmas period nearly upon us, food businesses must be especially vigilant to ensure compliance with the law and to protect the health of their customers.”
