ALL foods manufactured in Ireland are being tested by Teagasc National Food Centre in north Co Dublin to provide an Irish food safety data base for home and international consumers.
The work at Dunsinea is being part funded by the EU and, when completed in 18 months, will provide a back up guarantee to consumers of Irish food, according to the director of Teagasc, Dr Liam Downey.
He said similar work was being done by Ireland's rivals in the international markets and it was important that Ireland have such a data base for its customers and for the industry.
This week he is expected to announce a backup service for the food industry from Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, to help manufacturing companies produce food to the highest standards.
Teagasc has already announced the establishment of a research review group to advise on the suitability of the research programmes it carries out.
Last week at the National Beef Conference in Athlone, Co Westmeath, it also announced a second review group to prepare a strategy for its future development.
This group is to be chaired by Mr John Duggan, chairman of Avonmore Foods plc, and will have representation from the farm organisations and the Department of Agriculture. It will also have available Mr Georg Nielson, director of the Institute for Agricultural Information, Arkus, Denmark.
Dr Downey said it was critical that the future technology needs of a sustainable agriculture be addressed by the services provided.