Laboratories testing food for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) were warned yesterday they must become fully accredited to the highest standards by the end of 2005.
Testing of samples is critical to ensuring food safety and monitoring food-borne illness, according to the new chief executive of the FSAI, Ms Ann Westby, speaking at a conference attended by 160 laboratory staff.
The FSAI has service contracts with 21 laboratories, but it is understood that up to one-third of these do not have ISO 17025 accreditation. More than 63,000 food samples are analysed every year on behalf of the authority for microbiological or chemical contamination.
In her first public statement since taking over from Dr Patrick Wall earlier this year, Ms Westby said testing of food samples underpinned Irish food safety control systems throughout the country, in efforts to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness.
She praised laboratory personnel for the extensive level and range of analyses carried out in Ireland.
While a lot had been done to develop food laboratory structures here, there were still many more areas that required development and investment to achieve optimum efficiency and effectiveness.
"It is important that laboratories are resourced sufficiently to achieve the highest standards of operation, and I am urging all laboratories to be fully accredited by 2005 when the next round of service contracts are agreed with the FSAI," she added.