Legislation granting unprecedented powers to the new Food Safety Authority has gone before the Cabinet. It allows for closure of food outlets, withdrawal from sale of food products and the rescinding of food production licences.
A decision to publish the Food Safety Authority Bill was deferred yesterday. A Department of Health spokeswoman said a small number of outstanding matters arose at the Cabinet meeting. These would be dealt with before publication of the Bill "within days".
The FSA has operated on an interim basis since January. Its enforcement powers are to be phased in from January as the size and remit of the authority is to be considerably more than envisaged by the previous government.
Continuing fallout over BSE and high-profile food poisoning outbreaks has meant the issue of food safety is rarely out of the news and underlined the need for food inspection and monitoring to come under one powerful agency, away from the Department of Agriculture. ail promised to do prior to the last election. Those working for the State in food-safety-related areas will be gradually brought under the FSA. Initially it will have a staff of about 50. However, with about 2,000 people in 40 to 50 organisations working in food-safety-related positions, the task of transferring responsibility to one agency is a huge one. Within government alone, they extend through the Departments of Health, Agriculture, Marine, and the Environment.