The Food Safety Authority FSAI 2017 Report Indicates Improvements in Food Safety Standards in Ireland

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland FSAI announced a report of its 2017 enforcement orders. Orlagh Deegan, Food Safety Consultant at Choice Training & Consultancy provides an overview of the results compared to 2016.

One of the key things to remember is that responsibility for compliance with Food Safety Legislation lies with the Food Business.

Enforcement Orders:

The FSAI Act 1998 gives enforcement powers to authorised officers. Authorised officers include the Environmental Health Officers (EHO) employed by the HSE. Enforcement Actions include, Improvement Notices, Improvement Orders, Prohibition Orders and Closure Orders.

• In 2016, 106 enforcement orders were served.
• In 2017, 69 enforcement orders were served, a decrease of 35%.

Closure Orders:

A Closure Order is served where an Improvement Order is not complied with or the authorised officer (EHO) is of the opinion that there is likely to be grave or immediate danger to public health.

• In 2016, there were 94 closure order served.
• In 2017, there were 64 closure orders a decrease of 32%

The FSAI now publish the full details of all enforcement orders on their website to increase transparency and in turn raise standards in food safety & hygiene in food businesses. Hopefully this will help the downward trend of enforcement orders to continue.

Recurring Food Safety Issues:

Some of the recurring issues across both 2016 and 2017 include:

• Rodent Infestation and droppings
• Failure to maintain temperature control of foodstuff
• Filthy Conditions
• Unsuitable Storage Facilities
• Improper or lack of water facilities
• Insufficient food safety management systems or HACCP plans.

Customer Complaints

Customers are more aware than ever of the expected standards and they are not afraid to make complaints directly to the FSAI. The FSAI received 3,200 food safety telephone complaints in 2016 which was an increase of 15% on 2015. It will be interesting to see if there was a decrease in telephone complaints in 2017. This report is expected in the next couple of months.

What Can a Food Business Do to Remain Compliant?

Get pro-active & keep raising standards! Don’t wait for the EHO to visit to highlight the issues.

• Provide regular and adequate training to all food workers by a qualified and licenced trainer. Accreditations include FSPA, EHAI, NHP
• Internal & External Audits
• Revise and update your HACCP Plan
• Food Safety Assurance Awards such as the Food Safety Professionals Associations (FSPA) FSAA Award

If you have any queries on any of the above contact Orlagh for advice and information.

Choice Training & Consultancy provide accredited Food Safety & HACCP Training and is registered with the Food Safety Professionals Association FSPA, National Hygiene Partnership NHP, and the Environmental Health Association of Ireland EHAI.