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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 2001

Vol. 543 No. 1

Written Answers. - Food Safety Regulations.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

32 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recent survey undertaken by FSAI which showed that half of the food businesses surveyed were unaware of their legal obligations regarding food safety management; the steps he intends to take to ensure improved food safety management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25124/01]

The European Communities (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2000 (S.I. No. 165 of 2000) gives effect to EU Directive 93/43/EEC on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Regulation 4 of the Regulations puts an onus on proprietors of food businesses to develop a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – HACCP – system for their business. Under the regulations proprietors of food businesses must ensure that their businesses are operated in a hygienic way. Proprietors are also obliged to identify steps in the activities of their business which are critical to ensuring food safety and ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented and reviewed.

Since July 1999, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland – FSAI – is responsible for the enforcement of all food safety legislation in Ireland, including those regulations dealing with food hygiene. The FSAI carries out its functions by means of "service contracts" with a range of official agencies, for example, health boards, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. The FSAI meets with health boards on a regular basis to monitor the implementation of the European Communities (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2000.

The FSAI conducted a survey in 2000 on the implementation of HACCP and Food Safety Training. It was carried out in a number of health board areas and involved over 1,000 small to medium sized food businesses from the catering and retailing sectors. The survey was carried out by the FSAI primarily to determine the barriers to the introduction by food businesses of a food safety management system based on the prin ciples of HACCP. The findings were reported at a HACCP workshop at the end of July 2001.
I understand that the FSAI, via the health boards, were already aware that compliance with HACCP was low prior to conducting the survey, but the reasons for this were not clear. The survey has enabled the FSAI to identify some of the key issues that are preventing food businesses from meeting their legal obligation.
The workshop that was used to publicise the findings of the survey was designed to enable the FSAI, the food industry and the Health Boards to develop a HACCP strategy to tackle the barriers that have been identified.
The HACCP strategy outlines the actions that the FSAI and health boards will take over the next three years to facilitate and improve levels of compliance. The "HACCP Strategy" also establishes measures by which the effectiveness of the plan can be determined. The strategy builds on programmes that are currently under way in each of the health boards.
To date four health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority have developed guides to HACCP that have been distributed to food businesses. Two more health boards have HACCP leaflets and the remaining health boards have utilised publicity campaigns, letters and other means as a way of ensuring food businesses are aware of their legal obligations.
The FSAI plans to build upon these developments with national campaigns, technical guides and the development of targeted HACCP implementation plans with key industry representative organisations. The health boards and FSAI plan to co-ordinate their activities for maximum impact. The HACCP strategy will be overseen by a steering committee of the FSAI.
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