WATCHDOG · 5 MIN READ
Twelve food businesses shut by closure order in September: the FSAI names them, and why
Cockroaches, rodent droppings beside food, no food-safety system, chicken not cooked through. The Food Safety Authority's monthly list, published 15 October, names twelve restaurants, takeaways and shops from Swords to Ballyheigue.
IN SHORT
- The FSAI published its September enforcement list on 15 October 2026: twelve Closure Orders, ten under the FSAI Act 1998 and two under the EU Official Controls Regulations 2020, served by Environmental Health Officers of the HSE.
- The named premises include Pizza Petito in Rathgar, The Hopsack at Swan Leisure Centre in Rathmines, J2 Sushi & Bento in Swords, Marka Cadey 2 on Talbot Street, Fia's Café in Limerick and Everest Kitchen in Ennis. Reasons included cockroach infestation, evidence of rodents near food, no HACCP system, missing use-by dates and inadequate cooking and cooling of chicken.
- FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey called the failures 'entirely preventable'. Closure orders are lifted once the business satisfies the inspector; the register at fsai.ie shows the current status of each.
What was published
On 15 October 2026 the Food Safety Authority of Ireland published its enforcement report for September. Twelve Closure Orders were served on food businesses during the month: ten under the FSAI Act 1998, where there is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health, and two under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020. The orders were served by Environmental Health Officers of the HSE.
The businesses named by the FSAI are:
- Furlong's Bar & Lounge and Nellie's Takeaway, Curracloe, Co. Wexford
- Fia's Café, 57 Thomas Street, Limerick
- The Lunch Bag, Timahoe GAA, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
- Pizza Petito, 9 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6
- Centra, Ardlo Manor, Mullagh, Co. Cavan
- Summergrove House B&B, Mountmellick, Co. Laois
- Everest Kitchen Nepalese, Abbey Street, Ennis, Co. Clare
- The Thatch, Killenard, Portarlington, Co. Laois
- Marka Cadey 2, 5 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
- The Hopsack, Swan Leisure Centre, Rathmines, Dublin 6
- Eskimo Pizza and Indian, Main Street, Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry
- J2 Sushi & Bento, 75 Main Street, Swords, Co. Dublin
Why they were closed
The FSAI's release sets out the grounds across the twelve: a cockroach infestation; evidence of rodent activity in areas where food was stored or prepared; no HACCP-based food safety management system in place; foods without use-by dates or past them; and inadequate cooking, cooling and reheating of chicken. Each of those is a listed reason for an order under the Act, and each is the kind of thing an inspector can see in one visit.
Greg Dempsey, the FSAI's chief executive, said the non-compliances were "entirely preventable" and that food businesses have a legal responsibility to make sure the food they sell is safe to eat.
What a closure order means, and how to check
A Closure Order requires the business, or part of it, to stop operating until the Environmental Health Officer is satisfied the problem is fixed. It can be lifted within days. The FSAI publishes the orders, the reasons and the current status on its enforcement register, and a business that has had its order lifted is shown as such. Before you order from a takeaway or book a function room, the register is a two-minute check: fsai.ie, Enforcement reports.
The FSAI publishes the previous month's list in the first half of each month. September's came on 15 October; October's is due in the first half of November.
Why it is in a services paper
Food businesses list on Locufy alongside cleaners and electricians, and the same rule applies to both: a regulator's public record is the best information a customer has before they spend. A closure order is not a review and not an opinion. It is an inspector's finding, published by law, with a date.
“Entirely preventable.”
Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 October 2026
12
Closure Orders served in September 2026
10 + 2
under the FSAI Act 1998 and the EU Official Controls Regulations
15 Oct
date the FSAI published the list
By the numbers — figures from the sources listed at the end of this piece.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Restaurants and takeaways listed near you, with their score — no account needed to look.Questions this piece gets asked
Is a business on the list still closed?
Not necessarily. Orders are lifted once the inspector is satisfied. The FSAI's enforcement register shows the status of each order; check there before deciding.
Who inspects food businesses?
Environmental Health Officers of the HSE, working under service contract to the FSAI. They can serve Closure Orders, Improvement Orders and Prohibition Orders, and bring prosecutions.
How do I report a food-safety concern?
To the FSAI through its online complaint form or advice line; the complaint is passed to the relevant Environmental Health Office for inspection.
Sources
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Comments 3
TopNewest
- REAoife M.Customer · Dublin 8EDITOR'S PICK2 h ago
The register link is the useful bit. Looked up the lad who quoted us for the board last month — not on it. Saved us a job.
- PRMarta R.Provider · Electrician · Crumlin1 h ago
Every one of these cases is a board or a shower. Ask for the certificate before the balance, every time. A registered contractor will not blink.
- RECiara D.Customer · Cork40 min ago
The thirty-day rule should be on a sticker on every front door.
Signed-in Locufy customers and providers only. Comments close 30 days after publication. Report anything that names a person unfairly — we act on every report.
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