Enforcement Orders Served On Food Businesses In 2023 Up 19%.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has stated that 92 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation in 2023, an increase of 19% on the 77 that were served in 2022.
Announcing the figures today, the FSAI, expressed disappointment at the increase, and reminded food businesses to train staff appropriately to produce, serve and sell food, in accordance with food safety legislation, thus ensuring that premises are fully suitable for safe food production, sale and storage.

Between January 1st and December 31st 2023, 76 Closure Orders, 3 Improvement Orders and 13 Prohibition Orders were served on food businesses. A total of 6 prosecutions were also taken. These enforcement actions were led by Environmental Health Officers in the HSE, local authority veterinary inspectors, sea-fisheries protection officers in the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and officers of the FSAI.
Recurring issues of food safety negligence identified in food businesses resulted in the Enforcement Orders being issued, including inadequate food storage with the risk of contamination; a lack of pest control procedures such as monitoring and pest proofing; inadequate temperature control in food storage, preparation and distribution; and insufficient staff training in food safety, personal hygiene and record keeping.

Commenting on the annual figures, Dr Pamela Byrne, (Chief Executive, FSAI), expressed that she had hoped to see a reduction in the number of Enforcement Orders needing to be served in 2023. Disappointingly, this was not the case.
She stated that “As a result of the inspections carried out by Environmental Health Officers, local authority veterinary inspectors, sea-fisheries protection officers and FSAI officers, a total of 92 food businesses were served with legal orders for breaches of food safety law in 2023. While each of these Enforcement Orders was necessary for the protection of consumer health in relation to food safety, we should not be seeing such breaches of food law occurring in food businesses at all”.
Dr Byrne added “Enforcement Orders are served on food businesses only when a risk to consumer health has been identified, or where there are a number of ongoing breaches of food legislation. It is a legal obligation for food businesses to ensure that they are proactive in adhering to food safety regulations. Each month, food safety inspectors find similar, basic and fundamental breaches of food law, which are unacceptable”.
“As we enter 2024, we urge food businesses to always prioritise and promote a culture of food safety in their businesses”, she concluded.

The FSAI, today, also reported that four Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order were served on food businesses during the month of December 2023 for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. The Enforcement Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive and happily none were reported in Co. Tipperary during the month of December 2023.