Three food businesses were served with closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in October after inspectors found evidence of dangerous food hygiene practices.
The three premises are McAllister's Hotel in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim; the Dragon City take-away restaurant in Rathmines and the Village Store shop in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan.
The closure orders are issued if the FSAI believes that there is a serious public health risk following an inspection of the premises.
Dr Patrick Wall, FSAI chief executive, said today that in the first 10 months of the year 51 enforcement orders had been issued. This figure is significantly lower than the 77 enforcement ordered issued in 2001 and the FSAI is hopeful that the year-end tally will remain below last year's total.
"The levelling off of orders seems to indicate a heightened awareness of the importance of food safety among food businesses. We are obviously striving for 100% compliance, so Irish food businesses must realise that the future of their business lies in their own hands," he said.