Teagasc and Food Safety Authority Form Strategic Alliance

23 December, 2002

A new strategic alliance has been formed between Teagasc and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) with the aim of ensuring maximum collaboration between the two bodies in food safety and consumer protection.

Under the new agreement, both Teagasc and the FSAI will work hand in hand on the development and implementation of the highest standards of food safety and hygiene at all stages of the food chain. It formalises and enhances the close linkages which already exist between the two bodies.

A central feature of the agreement is the recognition that farmers are just as much in the food business as any other stakeholder and Teagasc, as the body providing research advisory and training services for farmers, is committed to keeping food safety at farm level at the top of its agenda.

The agreement will also see FSAI working with Teagasc in focusing its research on the critical food safety issues and both organisations will work together in ensuring that the results of this research are communicated to all areas of the food chain. The ultimate aim is to give consumers confidence that the expenditure on food safety in these two state agencies is giving value.

Both organisations are also working together on the development of a nationally accredited food safety training programme for large and small food companies with the objective of developing a food safety culture in food processing and marketing.

A number of priority joint Teagasc/FSAI initiatives are already well advanced under the new agreement. These include the implementation of blueprints developed by scientists at the Teagasc National Food Centre on best safety practices in Irish beef abattoirs. A similar project is underway on the development of best safety practices for the Irish catering sector.

The Teagasc National Food Centre has already completed a comprehensive survey, on behalf of FSAI, on the presence of the lethal pathogen, E.coli O157:H7 in minced beef and beef burgers. This found that some 3% of minced beef and burgers contained levels of E.coli with a potential to cause serious disease. A number of joint projects are now underway aimed at protecting vulnerable groups of consumers against E.coli in beef products.