AN UNREGISTERED food business was busted operating in a shed building alongside a car workshop.
Heyba’s Kitchen, based at Shed A3 Bremore Farm, Flemington Lane, Bremore, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, has been hit with a closure order.
Inspectors discovered the food firm was operating on one side of the shed with a working car workshop on the other side – and were only separated by a head high fabric curtain.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland today revealed it has moved to shut down the Balbriggan-based kitchen.
An inspection report said: “The shed building was divided in two by a head high fabric curtain where the other half of the shed was a working car workshop.”
The FSAI confirmed Heyba’s Kitchen had not even been registered by a competent authority.
During an on-site inspection, they found there were “significant gaps” on the floor, wall and roof areas between the two spaces.
And the FSAI slammed Heyba’s Kitchen over a string of poor food hygiene practices and pest control failings.
The inspection report rapped: “Adequate procedures were not in place to control pests.
“There were significant gaps at wall/floor junctions and at wall/roof junctions.
“Rodent droppings were evident in the garage, under the sink, beside food packaging and under shelving where food equipment was stored.
“The lack of adequate pest control procedures, proofing and cleaning to control pests may result in a risk of pest activity and food contamination.
“Evidence of pest activity in a food premises poses a significant risk to foods, food contact surfaces, and food contact materials becoming contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and foreign matter such as pest faeces.”
Outlining a raft of hygiene concerns, inspectors told how they found rodent droppings, dead insects, dirt and dust in food handling areas.
‘RODENT DROPPINGS’
The FSAI report said: “The premises and equipment were not clean and maintained in good repair and condition and posed a risk of contamination.
“Rodent droppings, dead insects, dirt and dust was evident in the food handling areas, food packaging and equipment used.
“There were no wash basins available or designated for hand washing.”
Other areas of food safety legislation contravention included the lack of facilities for cleaning utensils.
The report said: “Adequate facilities were not provided for the cleaning, disinfecting and storage of working utensils.
“Utensils were being washed outside in the open with a garden hose and left sitting on a wooden pallet.”
PORK PROBLEM
And issuing the closure order, the FSAI also flagged up temperature control failings for food.
They said: “A bag of pork sitting on a chest freezer at room temperature had a product temperature of 8.1°C.
“Tubs of cooked pork sitting at room temperature had a product temperature at 40.6°C.
“Trays of cooked chicken sitting at room temperature had a product temperature of 34.1°C
“A bowl of raita sitting at room temperature had a product temperature of 18.8°C.”
‘IMMEDIATE DANGER’
The FSAI said businesses are served with closure orders when it is decided there is or is likely to be “a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises”.
Five closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998, during the month of May, while five closure orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.
Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, warned that every food business must be registered with a competent authority and that all food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure the food they sell is safe to eat.
Dempsey said: “The high number of Enforcement Orders in May is disappointing, especially as the type of non-compliances, such as unclean premises and pest infestations, are all preventable where the business has a food safety management system in place and staff are properly trained.
“Additionally, while the vast majority of food businesses comply with their legal requirement to register their business prior to operating, unfortunately, some choose to operate without the knowledge or supervision of the competent authorities, potentially exposing consumers to unsafe or fraudulent food. These businesses will be pursued using the legal powers available to us.
“The FSAI website has a wealth of free information for any food business to access if they need help. We also have a free Learning Portal to assist in building compliance by food businesses and it includes eLearning modules, webinars, short videos, and explanatory materials covering a broad range of relevant food safety topics.”
