Irish food manufacturers and suppliers display a high level of compliance with legislation, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has found.
Figures from the authority's first annual report show that 94 per cent of almost 4,000 samples of foodstuffs fell within legal limits for contaminants. Of almost 6,000 samples examined for micro-organisms such as E.coli O157 and salmonella, 99 per cent were clear.
The authority began functioning in 1999. In that year it had a budget of over £4.3 million and engaged 1,900 full-time and part-time staff.
The authority's information centre handled an average of 350 helpline calls in 1999, "a number which rose substantially during food scares", the report states.
Dr Patrick Wall, the authority's chief executive, warned the industry that "shoddy practices cannot and will not be tolerated" but added: "It will never be possible to police or prosecute a food safety culture into Ireland. Therefore, much work remains to gain commitment from all sectors of the food industry that they have the ultimate responsibility to produce safe food."
Dr Wall said consumers did not realise they possessed the power to demand better standards. "If consumers are not willing to accept and pay for low standards then every element of the food industry will have to respond if they wish to stay in business," he said.