The number of food businesses served with enforcement orders for breaches in food safety legislation fell by 6% last year, 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, a total of 106 enforcement orders were served on businesses in 2015, compared with 113 in 2014 - a fall of 6%. Ninety of these orders were closure orders.

Common reasons for closure orders included poor cleaning and sanitation of premises, inadequate hand-washing facilities, the incorrect storage of food and ineffective pest control.

The FSAI urged all food businesses to act responsibly and ensure that the food they serve is safe for consumers.

"There is absolutely no excuse for negligent food practices. The types of reasons cited for closure orders are recurring reasons and easily avoidable. They are simple errors that should not be happening in any food business.

"While most food businesses follow high standards and are compliant with food safety legislation, we continue to encounter cases where consumers' health is put at risk through a lack of compliance. This is unacceptable and will be met with the full rigours of the law," commented FSAI chief executive, Dr Pamela Byrne.

Details of food businesses which have been served with enforcement orders can be viewed on the FSAI website here