Togher Food Business Served Closure and Prohibition Orders in October

A food business in Togher, Cork was served with a Closure Order and a Prohibition Order during October, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The Closure Order on The Smoky Island cites routine microbiological sampling that detected Listeria monocytogenes in food samples produced at the premises.

The FSAI reported on 11 November 2026 that Environmental Health Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) served three Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order on food businesses during the month of October for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

The Smoky Island (Retailer), Robinscourt, Togher, Cork was served with one Closure Order under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020, and one Prohibition Order under the FSAI Act, 1998. The FSAI’s Prohibition Orders report lists the Prohibition Order as served on 16 October 2026, while its Closure Orders report lists the Closure Order as served on 19 October 2026. No date lifted is listed for either order in the reports, which were both refreshed on 11 November 2026.

The Closure Order, dated 19 October 2026, relates to the business operated by The Smoky Island Limited, trading as The Smoky Island at Robinscourt, Togher, Cork. It directs, with immediate effect, that “All of the business, its establishments, holdings or other premises including Internet sites, Social Media and WhatsApp ordering be closed”.

The “Product Withdrawn” entry for the Prohibition Order in the FSAI’s report lists 1 tray salting duck, 4 containers of mackerel heads, 4 trays of smoked salmon, 1 tray of smoked mackerel, 2 packets of sliced smoked pork, 2 packets of smoked duck, 6 packets of smoked chicken and 10 packets of ham slices.

Reasons Set Out in the Closure Order

On layout and design, the order states: “The layout and design of the premises did not permit good food hygiene practices.” It says the nature and extent of the business has changed from a domestic setting since the previous official controls that were carried out and the premises is no longer suitable for the operations being carried out in the premises.

According to the order, the floor and shelves where utensils were stored were constructed of chipboard which was not smooth and easy to clean. It also states: “The wash up facilities were situated outside the back garden area. There was no supply of hot water available at these sinks.”

The order states that the food business operator was unable to provide evidence that they had implemented or maintained an adequate procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles at the premises. It adds that the operator was unable to demonstrate the hazards and control measures associated with the salting and smoking of meat and fish and the curing of beef, and that no documented production records were available for the month of September.

The verification and validation of the processing of salting, smoking and curing of meats and fish were not carried out and documented in the food business operator’s food safety management system, according to the order. It also states that cleaning procedures of the meat slicer were not appropriate when explained to the authorised officer.

On microbiological criteria, the order states that the food business operator was unable to demonstrate that the relevant criteria for the ready-to-eat products manufactured at the premises had been identified, that appropriate microbiological sampling and testing had been established, or that the shelf-life of the relevant products had been assessed to demonstrate compliance with the food safety criteria throughout their shelf-life. It adds that documented evidence of an appropriate environmental monitoring programme for Listeria monocytogenes, including sampling of processing areas and equipment where appropriate, was not available for inspection.

The order states: “Routine microbiological sampling carried out recently detected Listeria monocytogenes in one routine food sample and Listeria spp including Listeria monocytogenes in another routine food sample produced at the premises.”

It says failure to comply with the microbiological criteria “may result in pathogenic microorganisms, including Listeria monocytogenes, not being controlled in food”, adding: “This presents a risk to public health, particularly where ready-to-eat foods are contaminated and pathogenic bacteria can survive or grow throughout the product’s shelf-life.”

Other Orders in October

Two Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998, on Pizza Max (Restaurant/Café), 64 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, and JJ Ramen – Stillorgan (Take Away), 2 The Hill Stillorgan, County Dublin. The Closure Orders report lists the JJ Ramen – Stillorgan order as served on 8 October 2026 and lifted on 12 October 2026, and the Pizza Max order as served on 29 October 2026.

Reasons Listed for October’s Orders

The FSAI’s release lists reasons for the October orders without specifying which relate to which business. Among the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in October are: evidence of an extensive active rodent infestation with rodent droppings present throughout the premises including under chest freezers, in and on food contact materials such as food delivery bags and in shelving units where food containers were stored; evidence of gnawed packaging in a food storage area; raw meat defrosting in a sink used for washing ready-to-eat food; no disinfection chemicals available to provide suitable cleaning and sanitation of work tools, surfaces and equipment; inability to demonstrate that the relevant criteria for the ready-to-eat products manufactured at the premises had been identified, that appropriate microbiological sampling and testing had been established, or that the shelf-life of the relevant products had been assessed to demonstrate compliance with the food safety criteria throughout their shelf-life; products prepared in a food room which did not permit adequate food hygiene practices and absence of a food safety management system based on HACCP principles.

Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI:

“It is deeply concerning to see some food businesses continuing to fall short in respect of fundamental food safety requirements, particularly where there is evidence of rodent activity, poor hygiene practices, and inadequate controls to prevent cross-contamination. These are serious breaches that pose a risk to consumer health and are entirely preventable.”

“With the busy Christmas period fast approaching, we are reminding food businesses to start preparing now so that they have robust food safety procedures in place to deal with increased demands and pressures on their businesses,” added Mr Dempsey.

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website. The FSAI said Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.