A Kerry hotel that once played host to the Rose of Tralee contestants was served with a closure order for its kitchen areas and restaurant following a cockroach infestation.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported that the Brandon Hotel on Prince's Street, Tralee, had received one of ten closure orders served on businesses during July.
It said all of the hotel's kitchen areas, including its dry goods store, wash-up areas, staff canteen and restaurant, were ordered to be closed on July 23.
The order was lifted two days later. An inspector noted: 'There is evidence of a significant cockroach infestation at all stages of the life cycle throughout the food premises.'
The report said dead cockroaches were seen in various locations, including under work surfaces and cooking equipment in the kitchen, and on the floor of the staff canteen, while a live cockroach was seen in the restaurant. It said cockroaches were known to spread pathogens, which can pose a risk to human health. Pointing to the risk of pathogens such as salmonella, the report said these rendered 'the food produced in these conditions likely to be unsafe and pose a grave and immediate danger to public health'.
A spokesperson for the hotel said: 'As soon as the FSAI made the order, we immediately took action and within 48 hours the order was lifted. The Brandon Hotel has been at the heart of Tralee for over five decades and it's business as usual.'
The Brandon Hotel played host to the Roses in 2006, and remains popular with visitors to the festival, which will take place later this month.
'We are looking forward to a wonderful Rose of Tralee 2025 festival,' the spokesperson said.
Other closure orders included one served on the Lidl store on Sallynoggin Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, lasting from July 29 to August 1. The FSAI said rodent droppings were seen in several locations in the supermarket, and extensive food debris was observed on the floor of the store room.
Also, in Emerald Park in Ashbourne, Co. Meath, an area to the rear of the 'coffee dock' was ordered to be closed, after rat droppings were found in a unit used to store candy floss and other food-related items.
The unit was not pest-proof, and had holes in its walls, the inspector said. The closure was in place from July 14 to 15.
Other businesses hit with closure orders included a Londis store on Connaught Street in Athboy, Co. Meath; Creed's Foodstore in Cahir, Co. Tipperary; and KRS Catering Stall in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
The Costa Coffee on Dublin's Dawson Street also received a closure order from inspectors.
Wakami Sushi and Asian, and Hidden Dojo Asian Streetfood - both based on the Phibsborough Road in Dublin - were also forced to close.
The FSAI said Tim Nessa, at 2A John's Street, Limerick, continued to trade despite being served on July 8 with a closure order.
As a result, the FSAI said it applied to the High Court on July 29 and won various orders, including that the continuance of the food business operator be prohibited and that the food business premises should immediately close, until the problems had been fixed.
The problems listed included dead beetles in a container of packaged food for sale, no pest-control system, no evidence of food-safety training, no waste-disposal plan and a build-up of debris and dust.
'FSAI and the HSE's National Environmental Health Service will continue to monitor the food business to ensure it complies with the High Court's order, the HSE's closure order and the relevant food legislation,' a spokesperson said.
In an overview of the month's enforcement orders, the FSAI said some of the findings of the inspectors included rat droppings, inadequate hand-washing facilities, food being kept at unsafe temperatures and extensive evidence of food debris and dead cockroaches and beetles.
Greg Dempsey, the FSAI's chief executive, said: 'Recent foodborne incidents serve as a stark reminder of the need for food businesses to maintain the highest food safety standards.
'Consumers are entitled to expect that the food they purchase is safe, and food businesses have a clear legal and moral responsibility to ensure that it is.'
He added: 'The enforcement orders issued [last] month reflect serious, preventable breaches of food safety law.'
Full details of the food businesses served with enforcement orders are published on the FSAI's website at www.fsai.ie.
