Address by Mr. Michael Ahern TD Minister for Trade and Commerce At the Presentation of NSAI (I.S. 343:2000) for Food Safety Management

Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here in Limerick today to join with and support the excellent work that the NSAI are doing in helping raise the standards of food production and preparation in Ireland.

Most people will be familiar with some of the standards that NSAI administers, such as the ISO 9000 - a standard of excellence for a variety of services and processes that has been achieved by more than 2,000 Irish companies. What many will be less familiar with is the work done by the NSAI in setting standards in the construction industry, the service sector and, most pertinently for today, in the food industry.

The issue of Food Safety is one that is becoming more important almost day by day and is one that is close to all our hearts - and of course our stomachs as well! Thankfully it's an issue, which we in Ireland take very seriously and thankfully, we have enjoyed an excellent record that compares favourably with other countries.

But there can be no taking Food Safety for granted. As the food manufacturing, distribution and preparation processes become more sophisticated and complex - in parallel with the customer - we have to guard against the risk of hygiene breaches ever more vigilantly.

Standards such as IS 343 have a vital role to play in this area. But they are not the final answer. The primary responsibility for preventing and controlling the risk of food contamination remains with the companies and individuals involved in food preparation and production.

As we can see with the type of organisations here in Limerick today, the production of safe food is not impossible. It does, however, require knowledge, training, commitment and effort. Just as in any effective business the financial and commercial aspects must be managed. And so too safety aspects must be successfully managed in the food business. Food safety must be an integral part of any food business from the top management down.

Recently there has been a whole new approach to the way food hygiene and safety rules are written. We have moved from a very prescriptive approach to one that sets out objectives - which have to be reached. However, this approach does not set out in any great detail how to reach those objectives.

In that environment one needs to have independent standards and measures to work off. It is here that the NSAI has been to the fore in the development and the publication of sector specific guides as National Standards. These have already made a significant contribution to the improvement of food safety here and I want to record my appreciation to the NSAI for the tremendous work it has carried out in this area.

The Standard we are awarding today - the I.S. 343:2000 - is one such guide. Its strength is that it sets down clearly how food safety should be managed and defines the essential elements of successful food safety management. Not only will it help ensure the safety of food but also it will enable food processors, and other food businesses, to demonstrate to their customers that the products that they produce are safe for human consumption.

It is to this end that I am delighted to introduce a new tangible "badge" of success in this regard. Each successful organisation that meets the standards of excellence sought under the I.S. 343 will now be able to display the NSAI Food Safety Management Mark. This is a customer's guarantee, in a very visible way that the food they are buying has met the strictest safety regime around.

As such, I have no doubt that consumers will welcome the award of the Standard today to these top quality companies and organisation and will gain some comfort on sight of the new Food Safety Management Mark from the NSAI. Congratulations are due to you all.