Teagasc wins EU food safety contract

TEAGASC has been awarded a major EU- funded contract to develop European-wide food safety blueprints for farm production, processing, retailing and the catering of meat products.

The project, worth €500,000, is led by Dr Declan Bolton of the Teagasc National Food Centre in Dublin. It involves a consortium of scientists and industry partners in nine EU states, Poland, Hungary, the US and Canada.

The initiative will also review how food poisoning outbreaks are investigated.

Dr Bolton said the fact that the Teagasc National Food Centre won the contract against stiff international competition is testament to the centre’s growing reputation.

Over the last three years, Teagasc has developed and published food safety blueprints for Irish beef, pork and lamb slaughter.

Called HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), they detail the safety practices which must be undertaken from the time the animal reaches the factory until the carcass enters the chill room.

“Teagasc, in collaboration with UCD, has also developed a HACCP for poultry production and we are currently working on developing catering and vegetable safety blueprints in conjunction with the Food Safety Promotion Board and University of Limerick,” he said.

Dr Bolton said this new international project will enable Teagasc to cover other stages in the food chain and expand its food safety programme into Europe.