The canteen at Dublin City Council's civic offices was forced to close last month after food inspectors saw a "live rodent" through a hole in its kitchen wall.
The canteen, which is operated by Baxter Storey Ireland Limited, was closed by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland last month on 14 November. The canteen later reopened reopened after the pest control issues were addressed a few days later.
According to the inspector who ordered the canteen's closure, there was a "live rodent noted through a hole in the wall" area where food was prepared. The inspector raised concerns about how mice droppings and urine can “transmit salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria to food" that would likely render the food "unfit for human consumption.”
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Additionally, the report noted that the canteen was in "unclean condition" and that there was also "grease embedded on equipment and surfaces", which included the floors and walls of the canteen. The inspector also added that there was lack of adequate pest control measures in place for the canteen.
The canteen was opened later in the month after the concerns raised were addressed. Meanwhile, there were also three other Dublin businesses served with closure orders.
Wasabi Sushi Bar in the Strand Centre in Dublin was ordered on November 3 to stop serving sushi and sashimi as there was no washbasin, materials for washing hands, and foodhandlers weren’t washing their hands during food preparation. It later reopened on November 8 after the closure order was lifted.
The Chef Thai & Chinese Takeaway in the Coolmine Industrial Estate in Dublin was also ordered to close due to evidence of present rodent activity and pest proofing issues. It would later reopen after the order was lifted on 17 November.
Meanwhile, Pizza Max on Talbot Street was served a closure order after evidence of" persistent and heavy rodent activity" throughout the kitchen, as well as the discovery of mouse droppings. It reopened later in the month when the order was lifted on 5 December.
Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, said that it is a legal requirement for all food businesses to have a robust food safety management system in place that also ensures a high level of pest control. She said: "Environmental Health Officers are continuously finding incidents of rodent and pest infestations.
"This is a failure of a food safety management system, which is put in place to ensure food safety and hygiene. Consumers have a right to safe food and all food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure that the food they are processing, serving or selling is safe to eat.
She added: "With the Christmas period already underway, food businesses must ensure they maintain high food safety standards at all times."
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