FOOD SAFETY AMONG TOP CONCERNS FOR FOOD BUSINESSES IN IRELAND

Aug 29, 2019

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) recently revealed national attitudinal research that shows from a food regulatory perspective, food allergens and ingredients labelling is the number one concern for Irish food businesses. The research shows that more than 7 out of 10 food businesses are increasingly confident about food safety regulation in Ireland, with almost three quarters (73%) stating that food produced in Ireland is safer than it was five years ago. 

Despite the increased confidence, numerous food safety concerns remain for food businesses. The food industry is apprehensive about allergens and ingredients labelling; food hygiene and handling requirements.

  • Allergens and ingredients labelling comes out on top as the greatest food safety worry for Irish food businesses, with over half (53%) listing it as one of their top three concerns.
  • Food hygiene and handling requirements (36%) and carcinogenic chemicals in foods (30%) also ranked highly amongst those surveyed.
  • There is a strong confidence in food safety measures among the industry, however, around one fifth (18%) are calling for more food safety regulation and enforcement.
  • Around one third (31%) of food businesses do not feel well informed in terms of food safety information, despite a high proportion claiming to cover this in-house or via consultants.

Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI called on food businesses to address food safety issues highlighted in the survey. 

    “We would encourage food businesses who feel they lack adequate food safety information to contact the FSAI for more guidance and instructions. While the majority of food businesses acknowledge their own responsibility for ensuring the food they serve is safe to eat, it is unacceptable that over 1 in 10 see this as the responsibility of the FSAI, which it is not – the responsibility lies with food businesses. The consequences of allergen information not being provided, and food hygiene standards not being adhered to are very serious and the FSAI, together with the food inspectorate, is continuously working to ensure that businesses are not flaunting these requirements.”

Business to business customers can be confident that products purchased from Kells will provide all the required allergen information on the label as well as much greater ingredient and allergen details on the product specification. This is validated by the ‘AA’ certification from British Retail Consortium (BRC) that we hold and have held for 10 years now.