The Health Service Executive (HSE), on behalf of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), inspect tens of thousands of food establishments throughout Ireland every year.
Note: Food safety legislation here in Ireland sets standards which food businesses must stringently adhere to, and no short-cuts are acceptable or permitted, when it comes to ensuring the protection of consumer health.
The number of food outlets (takeaways, restaurants, wholesalers, butchers and retailers etc) shut down in Ireland last year, rose by over 25%; when compared to the previous year 2017, with 66 enforcement orders activated across Ireland.
The FSAI have described this increase as totally unacceptable, stating there are “absolutely no excuses for negligent food practices”.
Last year Dublin saw the largest number of such offenders; numbering in total 22; [(Northside (12), Southside (10)]; however, when broken down by population, it was Co. Louth which fared the worst with 6 closure orders instigated across the county, wrestling the title relating to hygiene-related activities held previously from Co. Donegal.
Counties that were given a clean bill of health in 2018, included Kerry, Wicklow, Offaly, Waterford, Sligo, Kildare, Leitrim and Longford.
While food providing establishments in Thurles town, here in the Premier County also received a clean bill of health; County Tipperary, as a whole entity, comes in at 5th place on a list of 15 named offending counties; which include Kilkenny, Laois, Carlow, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Louth, Meath, Mayo, Westmeath, Cavan and Donegal.
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