Food - Thurles Information

FSAI Recall Batch Of Apple Farm Still Irish Apple Juice.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland [FSAI] yesterday, Wednesday, March 15th 2023, recalled a batch of ‘The Apple Farm Still Irish Apple Juice’ due to possible fermentation that could cause bottle breakage.

The product referred ‘The Apple Farm Still Irish Apple Juice’, pack size: 250ml, with country of origin Ireland, is identified by Batch Code: M152, and shows best before date as:- 31/03/2024.

The above named batch is being recalled due to possible fermentation that may cause bottle breakage.

Recall notices will be displayed at points-of-sale.

Closure Order Issued For Fethard Restaurant-Café.

On February 3rd last, a HSE closure order, under Regulation 30 of the European Union (Official Controls in relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 79 of 2020) was issued to Mr Richard Gleeson, with an address at Dooks Dunes Ltd., Dooks Fine Foods, Kerry Street, Fethard, Co. Tipperary.

The closure order states:
“I being an authorised officer of the Health Service Executive under the Food Safety Authority of
Ireland Act, 1998 and S.I. No. 79 of 2020, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by Regulation 30 of S.I. No. 79 of 2020, hereby direct that all or part of the business, it’s establishments, holdings or other premises including internet sites or social media sites, specified in Part 1 of the Schedule, be ceased with immediate effect until the earliest of : –
(i) An order to contrary effect by a Court of competent jurisdiction.
(ii) Further written direction by the Health Service Executive.

I make this order being of the opinion that there is failure to comply with food legislation for the particular reasons set out in Part 2 of the Schedule and being of the opinion that all of the activities of the business concerned and, where relevant, of the internet sites or social media sites it operates or employs, to which the order relates as identified in Part 1 of the Schedule be ceased.

This Closure Order further directs that:
All the business, its establishments, holdings or other premises be closed.

The Legislation Infringed:
Non compliance: The food business operators did not put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles. Adequate HACCP based procedures had not been put in place and implemented for the production of parsley mayonnaise, beetroot hummus, rocket pesto and chicken and chorizo bap.

The results of microbiological analysis of official samples of the aforementioned products on 01/02/2023 found unsatisfactory levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli).
*The presence of E.Coli in the parsley mayonnaise, beetroot hummus, rocket pesto and chicken and chorizo bap, indicates that faecal pathogens may also be present or that poor hygiene practices occurred during processing and /or post processing.

The closure order is dated 03/02/2023.

Irish Rail To Restore Onboard Catering On Thurles Rail Line.

Irish Rail has confirmed their intension to restore its onboard catering service, with effect from the end of March 2023.

This reinstatement of the service will begin on a phased basis, same commencing on the Dublin-Cork line, latter servicing stations Portlaoise, Portarlington, Thurles, Limerick Junction and Mallow.

The sale of refreshments was halted on Irish trains three years ago, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and when restrictions were lifted in February last, the company which supplied the service, were forced to withdraw, claiming staffing issues and their failure to get an agreement with regards to sought after increased costs.

The closure of shops at train stations, and the discontinuation by Irish Rail of onboard catering services during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulted with commuters only being able purchase tea, coffee or sandwiches if there was a shop within the railway station.

Same resulted in Irish Rail considering the installation of vending machines, thus enabling passengers to buy food and drink. However, Irish Rail have now confirmed, today, that a new supplier had been secured and a “well-known brand” of service would be in place at each station over the coming weeks.

Irish Rail have failed to confirm details regarding the new vendor, and have refused to be drawn further on the matter.

Allergy Alert Notification

Incorrectly Declared Allergens In Harvest Morn Protein Bars.

According to an Allergy Alert Notification, published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, (FSAI), dated Friday January 27th last; Gluten, Peanuts, Soybeans and Milk have been incorrectly declared in Harvest Morn Protein Bars.

The FSAI warn that in all batches and best before dates of Harvest Morn Protein Bars, allergens may not be emphasised on the label. This may make the products unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of cereals containing gluten (barley), peanuts, soybeans, and milk.
The implicated bars were sold in Aldi stores.

See details of all the recalled product ranges shown above or View HERE.

Three Tipperary Meat Processing Plants Approved For Exports Of Beef To China.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Charlie McConalogue, has announced the resumption of Irish beef exports to China. Stakeholders in the industry have obviously welcoming this development, since the Chinese market previously imported Irish beef to the tune of €96 million in 2019.

Chinese buyers of Irish beef have placed orders with a number of processors and cattle eligible for export to China have been processed in a number of facilities throughout Ireland as of Friday, last January 27th 2023.

In total twenty four Irish sites are currently listed on the China Imported Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER) website, each approved to export beef to China, with some of these sites slaughtering cattle while other sites store or process the beef.

The Irish Meat Processors in Co. Tipperary who have been approved for the export of beef to China are as follows:

ABP Cahir Kilcommon, Cahir, Co. Tipperary.
ABP Nenagh Grange, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.
Ashbourne Meat Processors (Roscrea) Castleholding, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.

Irish beef exports to China and including Hong Kong, latter which operates as a special administrative region with different market access rules, were worth €45 million in 2020, down from exports of €96 million in 2019. Readers will remember that in May 2020, Irish beef shipments to China were suspended following the confirmation of an isolated case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or referred to as ‘Mad Cow Disease,’ a neurological disorder of cattle.
Note: This isolated case of BSE did not enter the food chain and posed no risk to human health. Nevertheless, beef exports to China were immediately suspended at the time, purely as a precautionary measure, and in line with the bilateral protocol on trade agreed with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).