© 2001 British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 26, 231–233

Correspondence: Dr Thomas Quigley, Director of Science, FSPB, 7Eastgate Avenue, Little Island, Cork, Ireland Tel + 353 21 230400; fax + 353 21 2304111; e-mail: tquigley@fspb.org

NEWS AND VIEWS: IRELAND

Food Safety Promotion Board:food safety across borders

Thomas QuigleyFSPB, Cork, Ireland

Introduction

Created in 1999 under the Belfast Agreement, the FoodSafety Promotion Board (FSPB) aims to strengthen linksbetween pivotal food safety interests in Ireland, northand south, including those responsible for legislationand standards.

The FSPB is one of six implementation bodies set upunder the peace process in Northern Ireland. The FSPBwas established on 2 December 1999 and operates asone agency delivering food safety on an all-island basis.

The role of the FSPB

The functions of the FSPB include promotion of foodsafety, including nutrition guidance and advice, foodsafety research, food alerts, surveillance and laboratoryservices. It also has a remit to conduct risk assessmentsof the safety of the food supply. At first glance, it mightseem that it comprises quite a ‘mixed bag’. On the onehand, we have the promotion and awareness brief. Tothis has been added a range of technical and researchfunctions. However, closer examination of the functionsreveals a clear linkage between all areas.

The key and priority role of the FSPB is to promoteawareness and knowledge. The knowledge created as aresult of our technical and research functions is used tofoster awareness through our promotional functions. Inorder to ensure that the organisation responds appro-priately to the changing environment this awarenessmust be measured to provide further information, thuscompleting the cycle. This concept is illustrated in Fig. 1.

The functions

Promotion of food safety

A core priority function of the FSPB is to bring aboutacceptance that the provision of safe food is a respon-sibility shared by producers, processors, distributors atall levels, caterers and the general public. This functionwill be discharged through the promotion of awarenessand knowledge among these groups and among foodsafety professionals generally. This will be done bystrengthening links with pivotal food safety interestsnorth and south, including those bodies responsible for enforcement of legislation and standards (Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland and the Food SafetyAuthority of Ireland). The FSPB will engage in publicawareness campaigns and provide food safety adviceand guidance particularly in relation to nutrition.Notwithstanding these campaigns, we must, however,be guided by the principle that primary responsibilityfor food safety rests with food providers. It is only bythe acceptance of this principle that food safety can besubstantially improved.

Food safety research

The FSPB will identify priorities for research, com-mission and fund research and establish a database ofresearch programmes through links with other researchbodies including international bodies. It will also dis-seminate research findings and recommend actionarising from these findings. A critical success factor inensuring that research funding is effectively applied willbe the establishment of efficient transparent protocolsfor the allocation of research sources.

Food alerts

Rapid dissemination of accurate information is centralto the management of food alerts. As such alerts gener-

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ally have a compliance dimension, the enforcementagencies will continue to manage the operational aspectsof such alerts. The role of the FSPB in this area will be to liaise closely with the enforcement agencies todevelop response protocols, particularly in relation tocross-border measures, and to promote appropriatetraining for personnel involved in managing alerts.

Surveillance of food-borne disease

Successful implementation of a food safety policy andthe provision of correct information require efficientand comprehensive data collection and data analysis. To create an accurate picture of existing and emergingfood safety threats and dietary problems, the surveil-lance remit of the FSPB will involve a comprehensiveand integrated approach. Communicable and non-communicable food related diseases will be surveyedand analysed.

Existing agencies north and south are alreadyinvolved in the surveillance of a range of communica-ble diseases. The FSPB will co-operate with these agen-cies and access and analyse the relevant data held by them. The FSPB will publish this analysis and act as a forum for the exchange of information between relevant interests. It will also promote collaboration and harmonisation in the development of surveillancesystems.

Laboratory services

The FSPB will have a general remit to promote scien-tific co-operation and linkages between laboratories

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on the island. In particular it will develop a strategy for co-operation covering matters such as rapid report-ing, network development and appropriate IT Solutions.It will also act as a forum for sharing knowledge and experience on testing and surveillance methods, and will have a role in the area of specialised laboratoryservices. Based on a cost-effectiveness study of a rangeof available options, it will make recommendations to the NSMC on a laboratory strategy for the wholeisland.

Structure

The Chief Executive is directly answerable to, and takesdirection from, the North–South Ministerial Council(NSMC), which comprises the ministers of health fromthe north and south of Ireland. The Chief Executive is,however, advised by an Advisory Board and a ScientificAdvisory Committee.

The Advisory Board has been appointed by theNSMC. A 16-member Scientific Advisory Committee,representative of scientific and technical expertisethroughout the island, will complement the work of the Advisory Board. The NSMC will appoint thisCommittee.

Currently, the FSPB has an interim staff of 11 basedin Cork, Dublin and Belfast. Martin Higgins is theinterim Chief Executive and joined the FSPB from theFood Safety Authority of Ireland, where he was Direc-tor of Corporate Services. The full staff complement ofthe FSPB will be between 30 and 40, with approxi-mately 15 scientists among them.

The Functions

KNOWLEDGE

collated to create disseminated to foster ….

INFORMATION AWARENESS

Measuredto provide…..

Fig. 1 The concept of the information cycle.

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© 2001 British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 26, 231–233

Contacting the FSPB

The FSPB has its headquarters in Cork and also hasoffices in Dublin. The Board can be contacted at the fol-lowing address: 7 EastGate Avenue, Little Island, Cork,

by phoning + 353 21 2304100 or by email at:info@fspb.org. Consumer advice on nutritional orhygiene issues is available through a phone helplinewhich, from Northern Ireland, is 0800 085 1683 andfrom the Republic of Ireland, is 1850 404567.