The report from the EC’s Health and Consumers Directorate-General evaluated official the nation’s controls on food safety and process hygiene criteria under EC regulation No.2073/2005.
The visit by Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) inspectors from June 14 -June 24 2011 came at the height of the deadly E.coli crisis that struck Germany and France this spring, killing 50 people.
Nine Irish food businesses were audited, and the report said that seven had analysed final products for food safety and process hygiene criteria according to the EC regulation’s requirements.
But the report concluded that – contrary to the 2005 regulation – two sprouted seed producers visited did not have implemented HACCP programmes and were not sampling and analysing products to ensure safety; one facility was even closed down by Irish authorities two days before the EC visit.
Reacting to the report, an FSAI spokeswoman told FoodProductionDaily.com: "The FSAI has studied the report in detail and has developed an action plan addressing the findings of the report.
“In particular, the FSAI have also issued guidance for industry regarding the safe production of sprouted seeds for human consumption.”
Gap in official controls
Although the report authors praised the Irish food safety system in broad terms they wrote: “Nevertheless, a gap in the official control of the production of sprouted seeds was noted. Some establishments producing sprouted seeds were only registered during the course of the audit.”
The report noted failings in Irish official controls of sprouted seeds (beansprouts and wheatgrass), where six producers are registered in the country. Since the audit all have now come under the official control of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF).
At the time of the EC visit, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said it did not consider checks on primary production its responsibility, despite its control over fruit and vegetable food processing.
And an FSAI service contract with the DAFF for sprouted seeds did not address official primary production controls thereof, the report noted – despite these being within the department’s remit.
The report authors noted that a service contract with the HSE (Health Safety Executive) stated that it was responsible for sprouted seed (as a food of plant origin) control at processing level.
Lack of documented testing
Essentially, the report said the current FSAI ‘Note on Supervision’ criteria was unclear as to whether the DAFF or HSE was responsible for policing the production of sprouted seeds at farm level, and whether this was considered a primary production or processing activity.
“No initiatives have been taken by the FSAI, the DAFF and the HSE to exchange information in order to ensure that producers at the farm level were registered and controlled,” the report found.
Consequently, the two sprout processing establishments were unable to document the use of accredited laboratories to test samples for food safety and process hygiene criteria, the report said.
Nonetheless, the Irish authorities had successfully incorporated controls over food safety and process hygiene into routine control systems, the report said in conclusion.
These controls included official sampling projects in the full range of sectors evaluated, “apart from the sector covering sprouted seeds due to a gap noted in the official controls”.
The authors added: “The control plans were, in general, apart from sprouted seeds, well implemented by the CAs [competent authorities] met. However, the documentation of the controls did not cover all requirements in relation to microbiological criteria.”