Sixty-nine enforcement orders were served on food businesses for breaches in food safety legislation in 2017, a fall of 35% when compared to 2016, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said.

Enforcement orders are issued to food businesses which fail to maintain certain standards. The most serious of these - closure orders - are served where it is deemed that ‘there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises'.

According to the FSAI, of the 69 enforcement orders issued last year, 64 were closure orders. Reasons for these included rodent infestation, unsuitable food storage facilities, lack of water facilities and filthy conditions.

Just last month, seven closure orders were served on food businesses nationwide for reasons such as the presence of mouse droppings, the storage of food in dirty containers and no running water.

"While it is very encouraging to see enforcement orders drop significantly for 2017 compared with 2016, 69 is still too many. Unfortunately, there continues to be a minority of food businesses not complying with their legal requirements. Food businesses must recognise that they are legally bound to ensure that the food they serve is safe to eat," commented FSAI chief executive, Dr Pamela Byrne.

The full details of the enforcement orders served on food businesses are published on the FSAI here. Closure orders and improvement orders remain listed on the website for three months from the date of when a premises is judged to have corrected its food safety issue.