Tipperary Take-Away Operator Jailed For Lack Of Food Controls & A Closure Order.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have welcomed the outcome of a District Court prosecution yesterday, taken against Mr Domenico Venditti, the former operator of the Domenico Take-Away, in Newcastle village, Co. Tipperary.

The District Court prosecution in Clonmel arose from four separate breaches of a Closure Order and other offences observed at the premises. The Closure Order was served on September 8th 2021 in relation to non-compliance with food legislation, with Mr Venditti pleading guilty to a total of nine charges brought by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These included:-

Inadequate procedures to control pests.
Failure to keep the premises clean.
Failure to protect food against contamination.
Holding foods at unsafe temperatures.
Lack of adequate hand washing facilities.
No evidence of regular hand washing.
Failure to keep the premises clean on September 8th, 2021 in breach of the EC (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2006.
Failure to comply with a Closure Order on September 17th, 2021.
Failure to comply with a Closure Order on September 10th, 2021.

The Court found that the premises was run in an unhygienic way and expressed significant concern that Mr Venditti continued to trade in breach of the Closure Order, showing blatant disregard for the function of the FSAI.

The Court imposed the following penalties:-
Failure to keep the premises clean – Imprisonment for a term of three months.
Failure to comply with a Closure Order (17th September 2021) – Imprisonment for a further term of three months to run consecutively with the sentence imposed above.
Failure to comply with a Closure Order (10th September 2021) – Fine of €500 to be paid within 12 months.
Mr Venditti was also ordered to pay €2,500 towards the FSAI’s court costs.

Speaking following court proceedings, Dr Pamela Byrne (Chief Executive, FSAI) stated: “The ruling today sends a strong message to food businesses that non-compliance with food safety legislation will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Consumers have a right to safe food and today’s ruling has a positive outcome for consumers in Ireland”.