In its second year in office, the Food Safety Consultative Council (the Council) is pleased to be able to report that it continues to make steady progress in meeting its principal aims. The main role of the Council is to advise the Board of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), and to provide it with the considered opinion of a diverse range of expertise. The Council believes that, through its open consultative process, it can raise issues of wider concern, which act as a challenge for the FSAI in meeting its primary role of protecting consumers’ health and interests.
A guidance given to the Council by the Board of the FSAI is to ensure that its business is conducted in an open and transparent manner. This year, it took a further step in meeting this charge by holding one of its meetings in a forum to which the public and media were invited. The level of interest and response shown was very positive, and therefore, some of the Council’s meetings will continue to be held in the public domain.
The main priority of the Council is still to draw attention to issues which, in its opinion, impact on food safety. In 2002, the Council identified a number of areas of concern, which ranged from specific food safety issues to gathering baseline data of the attitudes of industry and consumers to food safety. As each issue was raised by the Council, the FSAI responded.
The Council has identified its priorities, both specific and general. These will be the basis of its 2003 work plan, as outlined later in this report. I wish to record the Council’s thanks and appreciation of the work of Eoin McGettigan. Eoin was the first chair of the Council, but due to work commitments, he had to relinquish his post.
Eoin ably led the Council through its formative period, helped crystallise its objectives and roles, and developed a friendly and efficient working atmosphere. The Council wish him every success in his new post.
Finally, I wish to thank Dr. Patrick Wall, Chief Executive of the FSAI for his enthusiastic support of the work of the Council. I would also like to express my gratitude to the staff in the FSAI who formed the Council Secretariat throughout the year, Eileen Lippert, Pat O’Mahony and Ray Dolan. I would also like to wish Dr. Patrick Wall, Pat O’Mahony and Ray Dolan every success in their new ventures.
