The company which operates Iceland Ireland has had an examiner appointed just days after the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) ordered a massive recall of imported frozen food from its stores.

Metron Stores Limited operates 26 stores in Ireland and is €36m in debt.

On Friday last, the FSAI ordered the retailer to immediately remove any frozen products of animal origin which had been imported into Ireland since 3 March 2023.

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The FSAI also directed Iceland to recall the implicated product from consumers and, as a precaution, it is advising consumers not to eat any imported frozen food of animal origin bought from Iceland Ireland stores since 3 March 2023.

Foods of animal origin are any food products that contain ingredients that come from an animal, such as chicken, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and so on.

The enforcement action came following a number of identified breaches of food legislation and an ongoing investigation, according to the FSAI.

Reasons for recall

Inadequate evidence of traceability of imported frozen food of animal origin in Metron Stores Limited (trading as Iceland Ireland) is one of the reasons the FSAI served this notice.

There were also a number of incidents of non-compliance with import control legislation in relation to frozen foods of animal origin.

According to Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO of the FSAI, these were very serious breaches of food law.

“We have to take a precautionary approach to best protect consumers, as we cannot be fully confident of the traceability and safety of these imported frozen foods of animal origin,” she said.

According to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Martin Heydon, the recall was a sign that the country’s food traceability and safety system is working.

“I think it’s a sign that our consumers around the country and our farmers can be reassured that the safeguards we have in place work,” said Minister Heydon.