I hope the deterioration of standards in the home has nothing to do with the greater participation of males in the kitchen in these enlightened days. However, on a serious note, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland was established. Dr. Wall is the chief executive and he is doing a very good job in highlighting these matters. He is giving good advice to people in relation to food generally.
Food is an ideal host for bacterial spoilage and people can get food poisoning easily if there is any slippage in standards. In the home, if cooked and uncooked food is not kept in separate compartments in the fridge, contamination can easily take place. Training should start in primary schools to ensure people have an appreciation of the damage bacterial spoilage can cause. People in food establishments can easily put down or drop a piece of equipment on a table or on the floor and then pick it up and start working again without realising that cross-contamination has taken place.
Training and an appreciation of micro-organisms which can cause problems is vital. I take Deputy Upton's point that this training must be carried out in various languages. In a food plant I visited recently, almost one third of the workers were non-nationals. It is difficult to get staff for food establishments at present.