Laois food business forced to close immediately amid serious food safety breaches

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) ordered a Laois business to close with immediate effect in December after an inspector found the business to be unregistered with the HSE and in serious breach of food safety laws.

The closure order was served to Ella Okonufua, trading as EB Food Essentials located at Coolanagh, Ballickmoyler, county Laois on December 10, 2025.

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The FSAI then issued a recall of all food products sold from the establishment as "The food was produced in and/or sold from an establishment that was not subject to official controls, and as such, it is not possible to confirm the food was manufactured in compliance with all relevant food safety legislation. Therefore, as a precaution, the implicated products are being recalled to ensure consumer safety.”

At the time of inspection, it was established that a food business was being operated at this establishment. The food business operator had not notified the competent authority of this food business establishment with a view to registration of the establishment.

Therefore, official controls have not been carried out to verify compliance with food law. Food placed on the market without the benefit of official controls to verify compliance with food law may be unsafe and give rise to a risk to public health.

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This Closure Order directed that all of the business, its establishments, holdings or other premises be closed and any internet and social media sites it operates be ceased immediately.

In serious breach of legislation, the food business operator did not have effective traceability systems in place and was unable
to identify the suppliers of it's food products including three boxes of goat meat in the freezer that were in meat branded boxes labelled as lamb, brisket and silverside flat, three unlabelled white plastic bags containing goat meat, 35 bags of snails imported from Nigeria, 3 bags of catfish, 5 bags of dried prawns, among others.

Food and feed imported into the Community for placing on the market within the Community must comply with the relevant requirements of food law.

Legislation states that food business operators shall, as appropriate, adopt the following specific hygiene measures

• compliance with microbiological criteria for foodstuffs
• procedures necessary to meet targets set to achieve the objectives of this Regulation
• compliance with temperature control requirements for foodstuffs
• maintenance of the cold chain
• sampling and analysis

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The food business operator was using an unrefrigerated motor car to collect and transport boxes of goat meat from a suppler and for delivery to customers throughout Ireland and had no system in place to demonstrate maintenance of the cold chain.

The closure order was served and took immediate effect on date of inspection.