A review of the Irish food agency has found it is doing a good job but data sharing could be better and emerging issues are likely to pose new challenges.

A critical review of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) was done by consultancy firm Indecon for the Department of Health and seven recommendations were made.

FSAI aims to ensure that food produced in Ireland, and the food marketed or distributed in the country, meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene.

Service contracts with other regulatory agencies, such as the Health Service Executive and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, form the basis upon which controls and enforcement activities are carried out in the food sector. These activities have been successful over the years in identifying food safety risks and incidents, as well as issuing enforcement orders and public notices.

Data, resources and targets
Indecon said there was room for improvement in terms of data sharing. Better harmonization and standardization of data gathering and reporting between the FSAI and other agencies would improve efficiency of the food safety system.

“Overall, the FSAI is an appropriately situated, well-established authority with a consistent track record of effective performance of its core statutory functions,” according to the review.

According to a Eurobarometer survey published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 84 percent of Irish respondents expressed trust in the national authority, which is above the EU average of 66 percent. Ninety percent agreed that regulations are effective to ensure safety of the food they consume.

Indecon said there is some reliance within FSAI on contracted staff to fullfil day-to-day requirements. As of July 2024, the FSAI had 140 employees on various contracts.

There was a broadly positive view from stakeholders with regard to FSAI’s capacity to deliver. Representatives of external organizations who are members of the Food Safety Consultative Council reported positive feedback overall.

Emerging issues in food safety are likely to include EU-level developments, e-commerce, increased complexity of the supply chain, and technological developments in the industry. Indecon said this could increase workload complexity and the FSAI will need to adapt to remain responsive.

A review of FSAI documentation suggests that despite Brexit-related uncertainties, staff turnover, geopolitical factors, and an incident involving the Iceland retail chain, the FSAI delivered 75 percent of its tasks in 2023. The recall of imported frozen food of animal origin from the retailer was an example of the FSAI using its powers to serve notice on a business for the immediate withdrawal and recall because of concerns about food safety controls. This demonstrates the responsiveness of the agency and its ability to respond to risk without fear or favor, said Indecon.

Main recommendations made
A staff survey in September 2024 found most participants believe the FSAI is delivering effectively on its statutory remit in respect to areas such as food law enforcement, audits, incident management, training, fostering compliance, providing advice to government, and risk assessment and science. Suggestions for improvement mentioned the service contract model and data collection/sharing.

FSAI does not charge businesses for any part of the food safety compliance process such as registration, inspection, compliance or certification. Charging for these services could lead to unintended consequences of small companies not registering with FSAI and potentially putting unsafe food on the market.

The Scientific Committee advises the Board on decisions relating to food safety and hygiene. Meeting minutes from 2024 show the Biological Safety Subcommittee drafted a risk ranking of microbiological hazards, and the Hepatitis E in pigs and pigmeat working group produced a report on that issue. The Chemical Safety Subcommittee drafted reports on dioxins and PCBs, as well as biomarkers relating to food/beverages exposures in humans. The Food Hygiene Rating Systems Subcommittee was initiated in September 2024, and a comment period has recently been opened.

Recommendations included a potential review of food safety legislation to ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities and enhance accountability, particularly on emerging issues. Enforcement powers of the FSAI in relation to official controls could also be considered.

Indecon said clarity should be provided by the Department of Health regarding the role of FSAI in wider food safety issues that involve other government departments. This would ensure FSAI has an opportunity to provide input but does not deal with issues outside its remit.

Another suggestion was about improving the consistency and harmonization of how official controls are applied across the food safety system. This could include enhanced oversight into the performance of official agencies.