There was a drop in the number of food premises closed last year under food hygiene regulations, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The authority expressed satisfaction that enforcement orders served during 2005 had dropped to 41 from 62 the previous year.
"Enforcement officers served 27 closure orders, two improvement orders and 12 prohibition orders last year," it said. "This compares with 42 closure orders, 12 improvement orders and eight prohibition orders served in 2004."
The authority said that although this was encouraging, it was unacceptable that food safety laws were still breached.
The authority's chief executive John O'Brien welcomed the fall in enforcement orders which suggested that food businesses were now more aware of the need to abide by the law for maximum consumer protection.
"It is encouraging to see the number of enforcement orders recorded in 2005 down on those in 2004 and we are urging food business operators to continue to achieve full compliance with food safety legislation," he said.
"However, while solid progress has been achieved, it is still disappointing that the same recurring but easily preventable faults are the subject of most food safety breaches. A basic and consistent food safety management plan is easy to implement and is a minimum legal requirement for food businesses."
Three closure orders were served in December: Murphy's Cottage, Slí na Mara, Shannon, Co Clare; Oriental Fusion, Aughrim, Co Wicklow and Xing DA, Kenyon Street, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.