Dead rat and droppings found as part of popular Mayo food businesses forced to close

Part of a popular Mayo food businesses was forced to close in November after an inspection found a dead rat and droppings on the premises.

Part of the Coffee Shack Store Limited located at Station Road, Castlebar, was issued a closure order by an authorised officer of the Health Service Executive under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998.

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The closure order issued on November 27, 2025, directed that the room in the building at the rear of the Coffee Shack, being used as food store, be closed with immediate effect for the following reasons,

• A dead rodent was found on the ground adjacent to the small freezer.
• Rodent droppings were found on shelving.
• The store had not been suitably finished to facilitate the proper cleaning of the area.
• The entrance door was not pest proofed and gaps were evident.
• A hole in the wall was evident beside the entrance door.
• Chocolate flakes used to decorate coffees had spilled from packaging and were strewn throughout the shelving and floor, indicating inadequate cleaning and providing attraction for rodents.
• A failure to put in place and implement adequate pest control procedures poses a significant risk of foodstuffs, food contact materials and food equipment becoming contaminated and as a result proposes a significant risk to public health and food safety

The closure order also stated the layout, design, construction, siting and size of food premises does not permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against contamination and, in particular, pest control in that:

• The food store was not adequately pest proofed throughout. Gaps were evident around the entrance door. A hole was noted on the base of the wall adjacent to the entrance.
• Evidence of rodent droppings were found on shelving in the food store.
• A dead mouse was noted on the floor in the food store.
• The evidence of a dead rodent and droppings at the time of inspection poses a significant risk of food, food contact materials and surfaces becoming contaminated and as a result poses a significant risk to public health
  and food safety.

Adequate hygiene and food storage was also an issue within the premises as the report noted,

• Floors and shelving were not in a clean condition indicating a lack of thorough and regular cleaning.
• A failure to maintain a food premises in a clean and hygienic condition poses a risk of contamination to foodstuffs, food contact materials and food equipment.
• Food and food contact materials were not adequately protected against rodent contamination in the store room as a dead rodent was noted on the floor and rodent droppings were evident on shelving.
• A failure to store food and food contact materials in appropriate conditions poses a risk of contamination to foodstuffs, food contact materials and food equipment.

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The report also stated that food business operators shall put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles.

The HACCP principles referred to consist of establishing and implementing effective monitoring procedures at critical control
points.

Monitoring procedures within the business were not adequate in that;

• Rodent activity was evidenced as a dead rodent was found on the ground and rodent droppings were found on shelving in the store.
• A failure to put in place and implement adequate pest control monitoring poses a significant risk of foodstuffs, food contact materials and food equipment becoming contaminated and as a result proposes a significant risk to public health and food safety.