Teagasc to Lead EU Food Safety Initiative

17 April, 2003

Teagasc has been awarded a major EU funded contract to develop European-wide food safety blueprints for farm production, meat processing, retailing and catering.

The project which is worth €0.5m is being led by Dr Declan Bolton of the Teagasc National Food Centre in Dublin and involves a consortium of scientists and industry partners in thirteen EU states as well as Poland, Hungary, US and Canada.

In addition to developing critical safety practices for vital stages in the food chain, the initiative will also review how food poisoning outbreaks are investigated and will also advise on effective communications strategies with consumers on food safety issues.

Announcing details of the initiative, Dr Declan Bolton said the fact that the Teagasc National Food Centre won the contract against stiff international competition is testament to the centre's growing international reputation as a centre of excellence for the development of food safety management systems.

"Over the last three years, Teagasc has developed and published food safety blueprints for Irish beef, pork and lamb slaughter. Called HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), they detail the critical safety practices which must be undertaken from the time the animal reaches the factory until the carcass enters the chill room."

"Teagasc, in collaboration with UCD, has also developed a HACCP for poultry production and we are currently working on developing catering and vegetable safety blueprints in conjunction with the Food Safety Promotion Board and the University of Limerick," said Dr Bolton.

He said this new international project will enable Teagasc to cover other stages in the food chain and expand its food safety programme into Europe.

He stressed that recently enacted EU legislation legally mandates HACCP food safety systems. This new project will enable all Irish food interests to have direct access to the most effective blueprints.

The project will include six international food safety conferences over the next three years. Two of these will be hosted in Ireland by the Teagasc National Food Centre.