Incoming chief executive of Enterprise Ireland (EI), Jenny Melia called on companies to invest in innovation and sustainability in order to maintain the competitiveness of Irish food business.
“Reputation alone will not cut it for us, we are going to need the innovation and sustainability agenda to back it up,” she said.
The incoming EI chief executive said it is a “pivotal time” for Irish exporters which she said could become the “primary driver of the economy over the next decade”.
“Costs are volatile, markets are unpredictable and technology is moving at a pace that is taking all of us by surprise,” she said, “but amid all of that volatility and those challenges lies a massive opportunity for this uber important sector for Irish industry.”
She called on food businesses to examine the integration of artificial intelligence into their businesses and called for feedback from their partner companies on how to reduce the overhead costs of accessing supports from EI.
A report released by Enterprise Ireland at the event found that food and drink companies supported by the agency invested €166 million in research and development in 2024. Of that figure, more than 113 companies invested in excess of €100,000 each in research and innovation.
Despite the positive figures, the incoming chief said Irish food companies “have a lot more to do”.
“Innovation isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a strategic imperative,” Ms Melia said, noting that Ireland has the “capability and global reputation to lead in sustainable, high-value food production”.
The sector, which supports more than 60,000 jobs, accounts for 26 per cent of jobs supported by the state-agency, but Ms Melia noted the sector “must act with urgency” to continue to innovate in order to retain its global competitiveness.
Ms Melia is due to take up the position of chief executive office in July, but a new, interim chairman will be in place following the resignation of businessman Michael Carey.
The executive chairman and major shareholder of biscuit maker East Coast Bakehouse resigned following reports that the company was late in filing its accounts to the Companies Registration Office as required by law.
He took the decision to avoid any embarrassment for the ministers involved, James Browne in housing and Peter Burke in the Department of Enterprise.
Speaking in advance of the event to The Irish Times, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said “I commend him for making that decision”.
Minister Burke said the former EI chair had “reflected on a number of issues that he is trying to deal with the company in terms of filing his statutory obligations with his accounts and he needs time to do that.”
“He has reflected on that and decided it was best that he focused on at the work of his business at this point in time and I commend him for taking that decision.
