Award-winning Galway restaurant hit with closure notice after discovery of rodent droppings
The decision came after inspectors found rodent droppings within the food business.
They concluded that the rodent droppings resulted in a grave and immediate danger for the public. The notice was lifted after two days of closure on June 6.
Il Vicolo won 'Best Italian Establishment' at the 2024 edition of Food Awards Ireland and in 2022 was crowned Best Italian restaurant in Ireland at the the National Restaurant Awards.
A total of eight food businesses were served closure orders in June for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EU's Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation Regulations, 2020.
The enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in the HSE.
FSAI Chief Executive Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive said every food business has a legal responsibility to ensure the food they produce is safe to eat.
'Failures like poor hygiene, pest activity, and improper storage are basic errors that can have severe consequences to public health. Food safety isn't optional, it's essential. While we understand the daily pressures on businesses, food safety and hygiene standards must be maintained at all times,' he said.
'A robust food safety management system not only protects public health, but it also supports the long-term success of the food business. Non-compliance with food law is not tolerated and enforcement action will be taken where standards fall short.'
Under the FSAI Act, 1998, a Closure Order is served where it is deemed that there is or there is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health at or in the premises; or where an Improvement Order is not complied with.
Closure Orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities.
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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
William Wall: How a decades-old hip replacement turned me into a medical exhibit in Italy
My ancient artificial hip came apart as I was on my way to speak at a secondary school in the city of Genoa. It was, to say the least, painful. It wasn't exactly new. In fact it was 42 years old, well past its sell-by date as defined by the surgeon who gave it to me back in the prehistory of 1982. "It should last 25 years," he said. So much for guarantees! In Italy you can walk in (or hobble) and get an X-ray without a doctor's letter and have it read on the spot and so I did. I got a taxi to the centre. When the radiologist saw it he went pale. "You shouldn't be standing up, let alone walking," he said. "It's OK," I replied, "I have a taxi waiting outside". That did nothing to calm him. "Go to the hospital immediately," he said. I went home and phoned a friend. Maria Rosa was one of the first friends we made in Camogli. Former proprietor of a famous family restaurant where, among other stars, Umberto Eco used to eat, we couldn't have a better or more capable advisor. She took one look at me and called an ambulance. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way to San Martino, one of the biggest hospitals in Europe and a centre of excellence for orthopaedics. Before leaving I had phoned my GP in Ireland for advice. Should I fly home? "No" was his advice. "Stay where you are. They're used to skiing accidents, people falling off scooters, mad cyclists, car accidents. You couldn't be in a better place." He didn't say, perhaps not wishing to scare me, that flying brought the risk of thrombosis if your hip wasn't properly connected to the rest of your body. Writer William Wall. Picture: Larry Cummins When I presented them with the x-ray at A&E, the doctor there was puzzled. She had never seen a hip of that shape before. Did I have the technical details? I didn't, but my son Oisín used to be a curator at the Science Museum in London and they had one there, I could ask him. I texted him and shortly afterwards he replied with the full spec. The doctor burst out laughing. "I've read about this in the history of medicine," she said, "but I never expected to see one in my practice!" From then on I was Exhibit A. As they moved me first to Orthopaedic Emergencies and then to Complex Orthopaedic Injuries I became the centre of attention for every junior doctor and registrar in the place. I had my history taken by, perhaps, ten different people. Since nobody spoke English I developed a detailed Italian vocabulary on orthopaedics and medical procedures. I got to the point where I could recite my story by heart so that when, one evening, I was called upon by a Brazilian surgeon registrar who spoke English fluently, I didn't recognise the fact that he was speaking my language and kept replying to him in Italian until he pointed it out to me. The primario or chief surgeon was a quiet spoken, serious man, a professor of surgery at the university. They had no experience with hips of this type and age, he told me, and they would need to take some time to research it and get the right parts and instruments. He would keep me informed. In the meantime, I was, on no account, to leave my bed, there were huge risks and he couldn't believe I had been walking about on what was left of the hip before presenting at A&E. I joked that they wouldn't be engaged in surgery but in archaeology and that my hip was an historical artefact. Could I have it back? I'd like to have it mounted as a piece of sculpture. Chuckles all round. They'd think about it, but there were protocols to be observed By then I had no pain, my bed was beside a window that looked out on a little copse of pine trees full of colourful parrots, and the patient in the next bed in our two-bed room was a retired teacher who loved to talk about books. I settled in for a long wait, happy to be in good hands. Operation easier than first time round The operation, five days later, was much easier than the first time round. Anaesthetics have developed since 1982, and medicine has learned a lot more about what was once a revolutionary form of surgery. It's not that hip operations are routine, especially not when the object of the surgery belongs in a museum (and I don't mean me), but almost everything is known about them now and the procedure is well understood. Back in 1982 you spent a week in bed after the operation with the leg suspended in a flexible cradle. I don't know why, but at the time I thought of it as waiting for the glue to set. My metaphor, to paraphrase Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, was drawn from carpentry. And a doctor once said to me that orthopaedic surgery was essentially carpentry with blood. But with the new operation you're on your feet the day after and it is not fun. My previous hip was 42 years old and well past its sell-by date. File picture Possibly the worst part is the irrational fear that the artificial joint of titanium steel might 'break', despite the fact that you know that thousands of patients all over the world are getting awkwardly out of bed and standing on their shiny new steel prosthesis every day. Anyway, I did it and it didn't break. And afterwards there were six weeks of home physiotherapy as part of the process. And none of this cost a cent because I have a tessera sanitaria, a kind of healthcare card. On the other hand, as a citizen of the European Union, I would also have been entitled to free treatment with the standard EHIC. By contrast, I'm told that the replacement of a broken prosthesis would not necessarily be regarded as an emergency in Ireland and the mean waiting time for a hip replacement is around 80 days I won't even mention our peculiar public/private hybrid medical system and the vagaries of health insurance, nor the fact that the six weeks of home visits by a physiotherapist would be outside my wildest dreams in Cork. The healthcare system in Italy is superb even if it is under severe ideological pressure from the Right. Beginning with Silvio Berlusconi, a process of regionalisation has given control to each regional administration and the result is considerable unevenness, especially in the southern regions. Nevertheless, life expectancy in Italy is the fourth highest in the OECD. Do I have complaints? Certainly none about the medical or ancillary staff, nor about the treatment or follow-up care. All were exemplary. My one complaint is that the food was terrible. 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The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Food company at centre of listeriosis outbreak was hit with two prohibition orders in recent weeks
BALLYMAGUIRE FOODS WAS served with two prohibition orders in the weeks leading up to a mass recall of ready meals and side dishes that it produces. These prohibition orders were part of the same investigation that ultimately led to the recall of over 140 food items this week. A prohibition order serves to prohibit the sale of an impacted product, either temporarily or permanently. Following these prohibition orders on 30 June and 18 July, a recall notice was issued to consumers and retailers. These recall notices were also listed on the FSAI website and an alert was sent to the media. Food items are often removed from shelves due to recall notices issued by the FSAI, but such notices tend to involve only certain batches. In a statement today, Ballymaguire Foods said that all of its products have been withdrawn and that the company has suspended all production. The company added that production at the affected facility 'will only recommence once the relevant authorities are satisfied'. The move comes after a total of 142 different ready-made meals and side dishes which are made and distributed by Dublin-based Ballymaguire Foods and sold in major supermarkets across Ireland were recalled due to the possible presence of bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Medical professionals are currently investigating the death of an adult with confirmed listeriosis. Nine cases of listeriosis had been confirmed as of Tuesday. Previous recall notices On 30 June , the FSAI issued recall notices on various branded Bacon & Cabbage Dinners produced by Ballymaguire Foods due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. These included meals produced for SuperValu, Tesco, and Centra. A HSE inspector was of the opinion that the various Bacon & Cabbage meals were 'injurious to health and unfit for human consumption' and directed that the ready meals be recalled. Advertisement Close to three weeks later, on 18 July , Ballymaguire Foods was again served a prohibition, with a recall notice being issued for various pre-packaged 'Turkey and Ham Dinners', which were sold in Centra and Supervalu. In a statement to The Journal , the FSAI said these two recall notices are 'part of the same investigation that is underway and which has resulted' in the recall of over 140 food items this week. A spokesperson for the FSAI added: 'As this is an on-going investigation no further details can be released.' 'Corrective actions' In a statement today, Ballymaguire Foods said it has appointed a public health expert to lead its response and that it is 'treating it with the utmost seriousness'. The spokesperson said the company is 'committed to doing everything necessary to responsibly and transparently address this, in full collaboration with the public health authorities'. As a precautionary measure, all Ballymaguire Food products have been withdrawn and it has suspended all production. The spokesperson said the company has 'taken corrective actions, including a full pharmaceutical-grade clean-down of the site' and that 'production at the affected facility 'will only recommence once the relevant authorities are satisfied'. It has also appointed Dr. Patrick Wall—former Chief Executive of the FSAI and former Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin—to lead its response team and review, including the implementation of any necessary enhanced procedures. 'We sincerely apologise for the concern this may cause,' said the spokesperson. 'Incidents of this nature are exceptionally rare and we are treating this with the utmost seriousness. 'We are acting decisively and transparently to protect public health which is of paramount importance to us.' Symptoms Listeriosis arises from an infection from Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Symptoms can include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications. Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly. The incubation period (time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing) is on average three weeks but can range between three and 70 days. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former FSAI boss to spearhead Ballymaguire Foods' response to listeria outbreak
The former head of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland will spearhead Ballymaguire Foods' response to a listeria monocytogenes outbreak. The company said Dr Patrick Wall will probe the outbreak and confirmed all of its products have been withdrawn as a "precautionary measure". The bacteria can cause mild flu-like symptoms or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, but in a rare handful, serious complications can lead to death. In a statement, they said: "We suspended all production and have taken corrective actions, including a full pharmaceutical-grade clean-down of the site. "To further strengthen our response, we have appointed Dr Patrick Wall - former Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, former Chairperson of the European Food Safety Authority, and former Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin - to lead our dedicated and experienced response team. "The team has a singular focus: to fully and effectively resolve this matter. It is doing so in close collaboration with the relevant public health authorities." Some of the recalled meals produced by Ballymaguire Foods (Image: FSAI) Dr Wall and the team will oversee all aspects of the review, which also encompasses implementing any necessary enhanced procedures. Ballmaguire Foods said they will only start producing food again at the affected facility once "relevant authorities are satisfied". Earlier this week, the FSAI confirmed an adult had died after contracting listeria infection. It is believed the victim had consumed a contaminated ready meal. As of Tuesday, the FSAI said nine confirmed cases of listeria had been identified. The prepared meals and side dishes - produced by Ballymaguire Foods - and sold at Tesco, SuperValu, Centra and Aldi - include cottage pies, lasagnes, pasta bakes, curries and potato side dishes The recall includes ready meals from Tesco Finest, The Happy Pear, SuperValu Signature Taste, and Centra Freshly Prepared. Tesco Finest Creamed Spinach was also added to the list of products produced by Ballymaguire Foods that are being recalled. The FSAI said all packed sizes of the product were being recalled. Ballymaguire Foods said it is "deeply aware that people have been impacted by consuming its freshly prepared meals. We acknowledge the concern and anxiety that this has caused and are treating it with the utmost seriousness". Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
