A new Food Safety Consultative Council (FSCC) has been appointed by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly for a five-year period from 2021 to 2026.

Some 23 consumer, food industry, food inspectorate and academia representatives comprise the FSCC, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

The council acts as a conduit to provide feedback to the FSAI on the views, opinions and recommendations on the food sector, so that these can be placed on the FSAI’s agenda for appropriate action, where necessary, the authority says.

The FSCC acts as a forum for debate on food safety issues and provides advice to the FSAI Board. It meets quarterly to discuss food safety issues of relevance to the food industry and the general public and represents a broad range of interests drawn from all sectors of the food industry, consumers, the food inspectorate and academia.

The term of the new appointees is from March 29, 2021 to March 28, 2026, and the full list of members is as follows:

Ray Bowe, Musgrave Group (chair)Paula Barry Walsh, DAFMPat Farrell, IFA
Maree Gallagher, food law solicitorJonathan Griffith, Irish Health Trade AssociationCormac Healy, IBEC
Dermot Jewell, Consumer Association of IrelandCaroline Keeling, KeelingsSorcha Kavanagh, Conscious Cup
Jamie Knox, Britvic IrelandCatherin Morrison, Bord Iascaigh MharaJanis Morrissey, Irish Heart Foundation
Conor Mulvihill, Dairy Industry IrelandSiobhán Murphy, Health Service ExecutiveJames McCrudden, Country Markets
Alice McGlynn, Bord BiaTim O’Brien, restauranteurEamonn Quinn, Kelsius
Louise Reynolds, Irish Nutrition and Dietetic InstituteMartin Roper, food safety consultantMarcella Rudden, Cavan County Council
Regina Sexton, University College CorkAnnette Sweeney, Technological University Dublin

12 new representatives joined existing members to make the 2021-2026 Food Safety Consultative Council.

New members include: Barry Walsh; Farrell; Griffith; Keeling; Kavanagh; Morrison; Morrissey; Mulvihill; McGlynn; Reynolds; Rudden; and Sexton.

Throughout the course of the meetings, the FSCC examines segments of the food chain from farm to fork to review the food safety initiatives already in place and those required to ensure consumers’ health and interests continue to be to the forefront.

Ray Bowe, chair of the Food Safety Consultative Council, highlighted the importance of the collaborative approach of the FSCC and that the new representatives will bring fresh knowledge and expertise to the council.

“We welcome the newly elected members to the Food Safety Consultative Council and look forward to beginning the new term.

“Each year we host an open meeting to give members of the public and the food industry the opportunity to discuss issues of importance or concern in relation to food safety, which can then be placed on the agenda for the FSAI for consideration and action, where appropriate.

“We encourage consumers, food industry and interested stakeholders to join our open meeting which will take place in the autumn this year,” added Bowe.