As Minister of State with responsibility for food safety, my primary concern is public health and the safety of food consumed by the public. I am pleased to have this opportunity to advise the Seanad of the initiatives being taken to improve consumer confidence in the safety and wholesomeness of the food we eat. I thank Senators Quill, Dardis and Gibbons for tabling this motion.
Across the world the trend is for national Governments and trading blocs to change their approach to food safety. Gradually we are seeing a move away from prescriptive detailed requirements in legislation, as more emphasis is placed on risk analysis procedures and on general rulings. Risk analysis is now a basic feature of modern food safety programmes. It comprises three separate but related parts, namely risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. This has meant a readjustment for all concerned.
The job of national Governments is evolving to one of inspecting and verifying that food safety management systems are operating effectively. At the same time, we must ensure that our control services continue to meet these challenges. Never before, it seems, has food hygiene and food safety been so close to the top of both the public and political agendas. It has long been recognised that laws and the enforcement of laws are not sufficient in themselves to ensure the best standards in food safety. Education and enforcement must go hand in hand. An essential element in the provision of safe food is adequate knowledge and education. All of us today recognise the need for education in food hygiene and for the need to overcome or remove the ignorance which can result in poor hygiene practice or, worse still, food poisoning outbreaks.
Food scares are nothing new. For many years we have been warned about the dangers of using unpasteurised milk, the need for proper hygiene in the home and have been advised on the proper cooking of food. Only recently, however, BSE and E.coli 0157 have emerged. If we add the threats caused by drug-resistant salmonella strains and antibiotic residues in pork, it is little wonder that consumers treat vague reassurances with scepticism.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland was formally established as an independent statutory body on 1 January 1999 under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998. The Food Safety Authority is a major catalyst for changing the food safety culture in this island. The authority is an independent agency whose function is to ensure that food produced, marketed or distributed within the State meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. The authority was the first in Europe to be set up with this status, independent of industry and sectoral interests. Its independence is very important to consumers. Some 1,900 professionals are currently engaged, either full-time or part-time, in food control services, working to protect consumer health. A major function of the authority is to co-ordinate the efforts of these professionals to maintain the highest standards of safety and hygiene.
The Government recognises that customer confidence, both at home and abroad, in Irish food products needs to be paramount. We in Ireland must be in a position to give independent and verifiable assurances as to the quality and purity of our food products. For this reason, the Government established the Food Safety Authority as a statutory, independent and science-based body, overseeing all functions relating to the food safety regulation of the food industry. This model is being followed in the European context, where the European food authority is being set up on a similar basis by the European Commission.
At European level, the White Paper on Food Safety was published by the EU Commission in February 2000. This White Paper reflects the European Commission's priority of ensuring that the highest standards of food safety are set and maintained throughout the EU.
One of the principal proposals of the White Paper is the establishment of a new European food authority this year. The principal objective of the European food authority will be to contrib ute to a high level of consumer health protection in the area of food safety, through which consumer confidence can be restored and maintained. At national level, several European Union member states have already established national food safety agencies and Ireland is to the forefront in this regard.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is responsible for the enforcement of food safety legislation. This responsibility is discharged by means of service contracts with the agencies which have responsibility for food control. These agencies include the relevant Government Departments, 30 local authorities, health boards and organisations such as the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs.
The Food Safety Authority is advised by a board which consists of ten members, each of whom has been appointed by the Minister for Health and Children. The board members are independent of industry. The Act provides for a scientific committee of 15 members appointed by the Minister to provide independent scientific advice to the board. There is also a consultative council of 24 members, 12 appointed by the Government and 12 appointed by the board, which represents consumer and other interests in the food sector.
Service contracts with 44 agencies were entered into and came into force in 1999. Each contract includes details on the work that the official agencies undertake on behalf of the authority to ensure compliance with, and the enforcement of, food safety legislation. The authority has functions in relation to research, advice, co-ordination of services and certification of food. It has all the necessary powers to follow the food chain as far back as necessary in order to deal with any situation giving rise to concerns about the safety and hygiene of food. Its officers have full powers to enter premises, seize documents and samples, issue improvement notices and closure orders, and to prohibit the sale of food considered unfit for human consumption.
In addition, the authority works with industry and training professionals to improve, harmonise and co-ordinate food safety and hygiene training throughout the country. Food handling plays an essential role in the prevention of food-borne disease. It is widely recognised that food handlers through poor personal hygiene, poor handling, or handling food while medically unfit, may allow food to become contaminated. Educating food handlers to adhere to good personal hygiene and good practices is therefore essential. It is equally important that employers recognise their role and ensure that food handlers have, or are given, the knowledge they need to do their work.
The Food Safety Authority has a number of initiatives under way which are aimed at protecting public health and reducing the incidence of food-borne illness. These include a campaign aimed at raising standards of food safety and hygiene practices among people working in the fast food sector. A breakdown of data from 1999 shows that over 50% of the reported outbreaks were associated with the catering end of the food industry, most notably the fast food sector, including take-away restaurants. The authority has produced a guide for take-away premises because of the relatively high risk associated with ready-to-go meals.
Changing lifestyles have increased the demand for fast food premises, with the emphasis now on speed and convenience. This trend is reflected elsewhere in the world in that 56% of money spent on food in the United States goes to purchase foods eaten or prepared outside the home. This trend is also evident in Ireland. The "food to go" sector is enjoying a rapid growth as retailers are responding to changes in lifestyles by providing ready-to-eat meals and by expanding the range of convenience foods they supply.
Some staff working in this area may be untrained and inexperienced in food hygiene practices. In many such premises, there can be a rapid turnover of staff, which can result in poor hygiene training and knowledge of good hygienic practices. It is imperative that employees know what causes food poisoning and what they must do to prevent it. These details are provided in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's range of publications and publicity materials.
Another major initiative relates to the catering sector and the use of eggs, which have been associated with outbreaks of salmonella food poisoning. The Food Safety Authority has collaborated with the Egg Association and Bord Bia in developing a quality assurance scheme that incorporates strict disease control and monitoring measures in flocks. The authority now recommends that caterers should use eggs which are either pasteurised or sourced from proven salmonella controlled flocks, such as those in the Bord Bia egg quality assurance scheme. In this context, the very significant reduction in the total number of reported cases of food poisoning caused by salmonella, from 1258 in 1998 to 635 in 2000, should be noted.
New threats to food safety have emerged over the past two decades, fuelling consumer concern. A number of major food safety crises and scares have also eroded confidence in the safety of food. The authority aims to be a key player in making Ireland "the food island" of Europe, a centre of excellence for agricultural produce with the highest standards of production, processing, retailing and catering practices. One very welcome development that augurs well for the future has been the establishment of the Food Safety Promotion Board on an all-Ireland basis. In December 1998, it was agreed in the context of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement that an agency with responsibility for the promotion of food safety – the Food Safety Promotion Board – would be established as one of the North-South Implementation Bodies. It was agreed that the functions of the board would include the promotion of food safety, research into food safety, communication of food alerts, surveillance of food-borne diseases, promotion of scientific co-operation and linkages between laboratories and developing cost-effective facilities for specialised laboratory testing.
The Food Safety Promotion Board was formally established in December 1999 and its headquarters will be in Cork. The creation of this board enhances the opportunity for the island of Ireland to become a centre of excellence where food safety is concerned. Contaminants and food scares do not recognise borders. I look forward to working with the Food Safety Promotion Board in the future.
We are blessed with an environment that is still among the cleanest in Europe. This, together with the natural advantages conferred on us by climate and soil, makes us one of the most favoured places in Europe for the production of clean and safe food.
As Minister of State with responsibility for food safety, I am aware of how health and the environment are closely interdependent. It is important that we do everything we can to sustain and promote a clean environment, to enhance the health and quality of life for our citizens and also for future generations. The measures which we take now in Ireland to protect and improve our environment will have long-term benefits for the health and well-being of generations to come.
We must ensure that in developing our economic and social infrastructure we do what is sustainable and not detrimental to the health and quality of life of our citizens. We launched our own proposal for a national environmental health action plan and we have a pilot local environmental health project under way in the north western region.
The current time is a very challenging and interesting one to be involved in the food business in Ireland. The internal market boundaries in Europe have been removed and the nature of statutory controls is changing. In adapting to the changing environment, the Government has invested substantially in the food control systems employed and operated by the health boards. Additional resources have been provided for extra field and laboratory staff, for computerisation and training.
The globalisation of food distribution systems and the increasing demand for convenience food have lengthened the food chain, with added opportunities for contamination to occur. The upward trends in the purchase of pre-prepared foods for eating at home, and more people eating out, mean that consumers are increasingly entrusting the safe preparation of their food to somebody else.
Across the European Union, national governments are evaluating their food safety controls and enforcement mechanisms to ensure the highest levels possible of consumer protection. I need not remind the Seanad that for Ireland the stakes are particularly high. Food production and tourism are major elements of our economy and both depend crucially on a favourable international perception of the safety of Irish food. Therefore, Ireland has a vital economic interest in becoming, and remaining, a centre of excellence in food safety. The guarantee of safe food for all is a shared responsibility. In protecting the food chain, from farm to fork, the Government, industry and the consumer must each play their part.
I am glad to have this opportunity to address the Seanad on this important issue and I thank the Senators for bringing forward the motion. I assure the House that I, as Minister of State with responsibility for food safety, will continue to work towards reducing the incidence of food-borne infection and the maintenance of the highest standards of food safety and hygiene.
I would like to comment on the relationship between agriculture and food. While the economy has made great progress and diversified significantly in recent years, we still rely heavily on the agri-food sector. The agriculture and food sector is our main natural resource industry. In developing the sector, we are guided by the vision of agriculture encapsulated in the term "multifuctionality". This means an agri-food industry that is sustainable, competitive, supports the countryside and rural life while prioritising consumer protection.
The agri-food sector is a main source of employment in rural areas and a major source of net foreign earnings for the economy. Government policy towards developing the agri-food sector has been set out in the plan of action 2010, which envisages an industry which offers farm families sustainable livelihood options, thus ensuring the maintenance of the maximum number of farm families on the land; which has the necessary strength and capabilities to compete successfully within the EU and on our main third-country markets; which is focused on meeting consumer demands, particularly for the highest standards of food safety; values rural environment as the basis of thriving rural communities and as our natural resource base; and develops a consumer oriented competitive food sector. This vision is firmly rooted in the principles of the European model of agriculture.
The rapid level of globalisation occurring in the food industry is placing sustained pressure on our farmers and our food producing base. The next World Trade Organisation round will in all probability intensify this pressure. Increased competition for market share among retailers is also forcing suppliers to reduce costs. In addition to securing our home market, the future of our agri-food sector can only be guaranteed through continuous and reliable access to export markets on which we rely so heavily. We know only too well how access to markets can be jeopardised by foot and mouth disease, swine fever, etc.
The strength of our food industry is its closeness to the raw material base, agriculture. Consumers cherish this closeness and favour the shortest possible supply chain. These close links should be strengthened rather than weakened. Evidence from throughout the EU and elsewhere illustrates that the development of agriculture and food should come within the remit of the same Department or Ministry. I refer Members to recent changes in the Federal Republic of Germany in relation to this matter. This Government has placed food safety under the control of the Department of Health and Children and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. The development of the closely related agriculture and food sectors has been assigned to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
In my opinion we have taken the right approach because the Food Safety Authority of Ireland deals primarily with food safety, which should not be confused with food quality. Food may be of good quality, but it may be impregnated by all sorts of hormones or antibiotics. I reiterate that we have taken the correct route because the Food Safety Authority is an independent body, completely separate from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.