Madam, - Further to recent coverage concerning the enforcement of new food regulations (The Irish Times, July 10th), I believe it important to clarify a number of facts.
While overall responsibility for the enforcement of food safety legislation is vested in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), inspections of food businesses and food surveillance are carried out by the official food control agencies, of which there are 38, with a total staff complement of over 1,000 full-time officers. Those agencies work under contract to, and are subject to, audits by the FSAI.
The statement that the FSAI has five auditors is correct, but most of the food inspections of restaurants and similar establishments are conducted by some 400 environmental health officers working in the Health Service Executive (HSE), which is an official food control agency of the FSAI.
The FSAI has emphasised to the HSE and other agencies the importance of maintaining a full complement of staff dedicated to food safety by filling vacancies in a timely manner and by reviewing resource requirements regularly.
It is the goal of the FSAI to keep the health of consumers at the top of the agenda. In the interests of transparency and consumer choice, we welcome the new regulations that require restaurant and catering outlets to inform consumers of the country of origin of beef offered for sale. Indeed, we would welcome the application of such regulations to other meats (for example, poultry and pig meat).
Consumers now have a right to know the country of origin of the beef they are buying in restaurants and catering outlets and they should be insisting on this information. It should not be difficult for restaurants to comply with this law, as there are already requirements for traceability in place. However, the primary task of inspectors will always be to ensure that food safety comes first. The FSAI and its official food control agencies will work together to ensure new national and European regulations are enforced fairly and in line with public health priorities, and that food consumed in Ireland, whether home produced or imported, continues to comply with the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. - Yours, etc.,
Dr JOHN O'BRIEN, Chief Executive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Abbey Court, Dublin 1.