Markets must spurn unsafe food

THERE can be no market for unsafe food, the first Bord Bia poultry and egg conference was told yesterday.

Dr Patrick Wall, chief executive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, said in Athlone that Irish producers and processors must differentiate their product in the eyes of consumers, if they are to win market share from cheap imports from countries with low labour costs and economies of scale.

Participation in the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes, which have a comprehensive food safety component, is one way to provide consumers with reassurances they are seeking, he said.