Muireann Duffy
Extensive rodent activity, droppings and gnawed food items were among the reasons cited by the Food Safety Authority in issuing five closure orders last month.
Three takeaways registered at the same address were forced to close; Koi Sushi, Nagoya Sushi and Kyoto Sushi, all with an address in Santry, Dublin 9.
A wholesaler in Cork, TFS Wholesale, with an address in Bantry, Co Cork also received an order, while Speedos on Tuckey Street in Cork City was the only café or restaurant forced to close, before having their order lifted the next day.
HSE environmental health officers also found the sushi takeaways to be unregistered and operating from the bedroom of a house where there were breaches of food legislation and food safety controls and record keeping.
In addition, officers observed a lack of safe practice when handling raw fish and cooked rice and witnessed a live rodent running along a rear wall at the premises.
The FSAI said all breaches posed a serious risk to consumers.
Chief executive of FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne said the unregistered preparation and sale of sushi was particularly concerning.
“Running a food business that has not been registered and is therefore, not supervised is totally unacceptable and poses a very serious risk to consumers’ health.
“In these instances, the unregistered businesses were producing sushi without any hygiene or temperature controls. The absence of a food safety management system, no monitoring of the cold chain and no evidence of traceability of raw ingredients posed a grave and immediate danger to consumer health.”
Photo by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels
