The mushrooming of Irish outlets selling "ready-to-go" foods, with their emphasis on convenience, is threatening the ability to produce safe food, the chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has warned.
Dr Patrick Wall accepted that food outlets were responding to consumer demands for "food on the hoof" but there were indications that staff preparing such foods may not be adequately trained - despite the legal requirement for such training. Speaking at an Irish Society of Food Hygiene Technology conference yesterday, Dr Wall noted a dramatic shift in the number of outlets, from the corner store to the filling station, selling sandwiches, prepared meals and fast food.
"With the increase in the food service area, more and more staff are now involved with food. People who sold petrol and washed cars last year have diversified and are now in the food business. Training is imperative if they are to operate safely."
The increasing focus on providing ready-to-eat food in response to consumer demand meant staff training was crucial to ensure food was safe.
"Since April 1st, 1998, legislation makes it mandatory that staff involved in food preparation are adequately supervised or receive training. Those who do not comply will be deemed negligent in the event of a food poisoning outbreak," he warned.
Consumers were the ultimate drivers of change in food delivery, with changing family structures and lifestyles demanding greater convenience. He accepted that the food industry was rapidly trying to accommodate this demand, by supplying prepared meals rather than the basic foods from which meals were prepared in the past. This brought inherent risks, he said, as the food chain was being lengthened, with more opportunities for things to go wrong. Staff training was imperative to avoid worsening the current trend toward increasing outbreaks of food-borne disease.
In addition, Dr Wall pointed out, there were strong indications that most of the outbreaks were occurring at weekends, "highlighting that it is when the kitchens are at their busiest, with a high proportion of part-time staff, that any deficiencies in the system appear".
All outlets had to assess food safety risks associated with their business and introduce measures to reduce or eliminate them.
