Awards

FSAI receives WHO Food Safety Award

WHO Award

Mr. Alan reilly, Deputy CEO, FSAI (right) receives the WHO Food Safety Award from Dr. David L Heymann, Assistanct Director-General for Health, Security and Environment, WHO.

The FSAI has been honoured by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the prestigious WHO Food Safety Award.

This award was presented to the FSAI in recognition of the international contributions it has made to promote food safety in the global economy.

The FSAI was acclaimed as a world leader in promoting an integrated science based approach, which ensures the safety of food along the entire food chain. It was considered that the approach undertaken by the FSAI was consistent with the goals highlighted by the 2007 Beijing Declaration on Food Safety, which sets out the responsibilities of national authorities in ensuring adequate food controls are in place and that these operate to a consistently high standard. It was also recognised that the FSAI has actively assisted other countries, often in collaboration with the WHO and other international organisations with food safety mandates, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to improve the management of food safety. The FSAI has actively participated in the Codex Alimentarius Commission and Ireland has provided support to promote the effective participation of developing countries in work of the Commission.

The award was presented to Mr Alan Reilly, Deputy CEO, FSAI, during a meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission on 30 June 2008 at the International Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland.

The FSAI is just the second organisation to receive this award. It was presented for the first time in 2005 to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Kingdom of Thailand, in recognition of her commitments and efforts to promote food safety in her country.