Bringing Common Sense to Food Safety

23 March 2004

Bringing common sense to food safety is the theme of an international conference being run by Teagasc in Athens on 12-14 May.

The conference is being held under a major Teagasc-led EU funded project on the development of European-wide food safety blueprints for farm production, meat processing, retailing and catering. Lead by Dr Declan Bolton and Dr Bláithín Maunsell of the Teagasc National Food Centre, it involves a consortium of scientists and industry partners from 13 EU states as well as Poland, Hungary, US and Canada.

Dr Declan Bolton said many of the current food safety management systems are unworkable, expensive and ineffective.

“Current food safety systems are based on hazard analysis and critical control point, (HACCP), which is poorly understood and often incorrectly implemented. The purpose of the Athens conference is to provide a forum for farmers, meat processors, retailers and consumers from up to 20 countries to contribute to the development of user-friendly, inexpensive but effective food safety systems,” he said.

The opening address will be given by Dr Patrick Wall, UCD and former Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Other speakers include Tony Pettit, Teagasc Food Assurance Specialist, executives from Irish meat processing companies, Dawn Meats and AIBP, as well as EU and Irish experts on food safety.

Full details and booking information is available from Dr Bláithín Maunsell at the Teagasc National Food Centre, phone (01) 805 9514 or from the project website at www.eu-rain.com.