Food safety ranked last out of six possible concerns put to 1,275 representatives from 19 sectors of the food industry, according to a survey published yesterday.
Those surveyed ranked food safety behind issues which included labour, cheap imports, staff shortages, increasing competition and theft.
The survey commissioned by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that only 28 per cent of businesses were concerned about food safety. Some of the findings were extremely disturbing, said the FSAI chief executive, Dr Patrick Wall.
However, 70 per cent of those surveyed, including farmers, manufacturers, processors, retailers and caterers, felt food safety had improved over the past decade, with 89 per cent citing confidence in food-safety measures within their own sector.
The survey also found that only 11 per cent of those surveyed listed themselves as primarily responsible for resolving food safety issues, with 63 per cent saying that Government and regulatory bodies were responsible.
Dr Wall said food businesses had a legal onus to ensure the food they produced or sold was safe. "The bottom line is that the law firmly places responsibility for producing safe food with the industry stakeholders throughout the food chain. They must comply with the law," he said.
The survey was released, along with a consumer survey, at the first open meeting of the Food Safety Consultative Council in Dublin Castle, which comprises consumers and producers to work on behalf of consumers.
The meeting provided an opportunity for those with an interest in food safety to see how the council works and they were allowed raise issues of concern. The Food Safety Consultative Council was established under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act.