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Retail Forum - 30th June 2016

Minutes of the Retail Forum 30th June 2016

PRESENT:

Lisa O’Connor, FSAI (LO’C) [Chair]
Sarah Wood, Aldi (SW)
Aoife Harrison, Lidl (LH)
Pauline Ryall, Tesco (PR)
Peter Jackson, Barry Group (PJ)
Lynda Kenny, Musgrave (LK)
Trish Twohig, Iceland (TT)
Denise Lord, Gala, (DL)
Ray Bowe, Musgrave (RB)
Peter Wight, Marks and Spencer, (PW)
Gareth Coburn, Pallas Foods, (GC)
Rob McEvoy, Topaz (RMcE)
Elizabeth Bowen, Retail Ireland, (EB)

IN ATTENDANCE:

Eileen Lippert, FSAI (EL)
Dorothy Guina Dornan, FSAI (DGD)
Gail Carroll, FSAI, (GC)
Kevin McPartlan, Irish Beverage Council, (KMcP) (1)
Alan Reilly, Alan Reilly & Associates, (AR) (2)
Bernard Hegarty, FSAI (BH) (3)
Mary Flynn, FSAI (MF) (4)
Sharon Gilmore, Food Standards Agency, N. Ireland (SG) (5)

APOLOGIES  RECEIVED:

Jonathan Halls, Boots (JH)
Selena Burke, BWG Foods (SB)
Mary Daly, Dunnes Stores (MD)
Suzanne Cullen, Musgrave (SC) 

1 For Reformulation item only
2 For Code of Practice on Food Marketing item only
3 For Country of origin labelling of poultry item only
4 For MenuCal item only
5 For MenuCal item only

REFORMULATION – KEVIN McPARTLAN, IRISH BEVERAGE COUNCIL, FDII

Noted: Mr McPartlan (KMcP) introduced himself to the members and gave a presentation on the FDII/Crème Global reformulation project which examined the impact of reformulation by 14 FDII members from 2005 to 2012, on the Irish population’s intakes of five key nutrients. He also presented impact of the low and no cal/sugar project for beverages.

Action: The presentation will be circulated to the members by email.

Noted: KMcP added that the project is keen to have major retailers involved in the second phase and gave a short outline on what this would entail.

Action: Members were encouraged to contact Mr McPartlan and EL will circulate his contact details to the members. 

VOLUNTARY CODE OF PRACTICE FOR FOOD ADVERTISING AND MARKETING THAT APPLIES IN NON-BROADCAST MEDIA – ALAN REILLY

Noted: Prof. Reilly (AR) was introduced to the members and he explained that he chairs a group which was set up by the Dept of Health. The main purpose of the group is:

  • To develop a code of practice for food advertising and marketing that apply in the non-broadcast media, indoor media, print media and cinemas;
  • To develop a code of practice for sponsorships by the food industry;
  • To develop a code of practice relating to food promotion and product placement in the retail sector;
  • To consider options relating to the governance of a code and to make recommendations.
  • To reduce the impact on the Irish population of marketing and advertising of foods high in saturated fats, sugars and salt by limiting exposure to this type of marketing communication. 

Action: AR sought the views of the members on practical measures that could be included in the codes and this was discussed for a time and the difficulties involved were acknowledged. Members were invited to contact Prof. Reilly with their suggestions and information regarding initiatives their organisations might currently have in place and these can be factored into the codes. Alternatively, they could send their submissions to EL who will forward them on.

Action: EL will circulate the presentation to the members.

Noted: There were several enquiries and requests for clarification which AR addressed. 

AGREE MINUTES OF RETAIL FORUM MEETING ON 22 MARCH 2016

Noted: The minutes were adopted without amendment. 

MATTERS ARISING

Noted: The cook/chill document is still a work in progress and when the document is finalised, it will be made available to the members. There were no other matters arising or outstanding. 

UPDATE ON CAMPYLOBACTER

Noted: AH gave an update on the progress being made by the Campylobacter Stakeholder Group, reporting to the Minister for Agriculture. She elaborated on the testing of whole birds by retailers due to start in July. It was confirmed that this testing will be carried out in accredited labs. A report is being prepared by the group for the Minister, which will highlight achievements and set timelines for outstanding work. 

Noted: Members were informed about a recently introduced practice in the UK of removing neck skin. 

Action: Members were requested to confirm, by emailing EL, if their suppliers have introduced this practice.

FBOS CHANGING FROM USING ‘USE BY’ TO ‘BEST BEFORE’

Noted: LOC spoke about reports received by the FSAI about some FBO changing from using the term “use by” to “best before” to overcome the fact that it was now illegal to sell food after its “use by” date. This issue was discussed briefly.

Noted: The retails present confirmed that they have not changed their policies with regards to this issue.

MARKETING OF INFANT FORMULA

Action: LOC advised the members that complaints come in occasionally about advertising special offers or similar promotions for infant formula. Retailers are asked to remind their stores that this is not legally permitted. It should be reiterated that any form of special marketing tactics at retail level are not permitted for infant formula products.

EU GUIDANCE ON HACCP

Noted: LOC informed the members that this EC guidance document is currently being translated, but is likely to be published in the next few months. 

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELLING FOR POULTRY

Noted: Bernard Hegarty of FSAI joined the meeting to clarify a few issues relating to Regulation 1337/2013 which deals with country of origin labelling (COOL) for various meats. He added that there is a level of non-compliance with this especially with regard to COOL and poultry. He enquired if members had areas of concern or questions regarding this and members raised inconsistencies with the labelling of milk and beef. Members were reminded that these inconsistencies were not relevant to poultry and that the regulations are very clear and added that FSAI will be meeting with HSE in the very near future to discuss the issue. 

UPDATE ON MENUCAL

Noted: Mary Flynn from FSAI and Sharon Gilmore from FSA Northern Ireland (FSA NI) joined the meeting to give an update on MenuCal which has been developed to assist food businesses in Ireland comply with their legal requirements to display allergen information on foods. While the focus of the software is now to guide users through the process of allergen labelling, MenuCal also enables food businesses to calculate calories for their menus as the practicality of the two processes are similar. By using MenuCal, when undertaking the process of allergen labelling, calories can be easily calculated with a few extra steps. There is a complete training module integrated into the MenuCal software to support its use as well as a dedicated support email help line for users. An interactive training model has been developed and is being rolled out as part of the promotional plan for MenuCal for 2016. It’s a ‘train the trainer’ type model aimed at increasing awareness and use of MenuCal. 

Action: Anyone who is interested in receiving notifications about upcoming MenuCal training sessions can express your interest by emailing MenuCal@fsai.ie.

Noted: S Gilmore gave a short update on what Northern Ireland is doing regarding MenuCal due to the fact that the retailers operate on both sides of the border. She added that FSA NI has completed some consumer research regarding retail labels which could be of interest to the members and this will be made available to the members. She also advised the members that FSA NI is establishing a Retail Forum and invited members to contact her if they were interested in joining.

INFORMATION SHARING/POTENTIAL EMERGENCY AND FRAUD RISKS

Action: The use of chlorinated washes of fresh products in delis was discussed and concerns regarding chlorate. As a result, this will be an agenda item at the next meeting plus the change to maximum residue levels (MRLs) in two quaternary ammonium compounds and FSAI‘s revised guidance on fresh produce (Code of Practice No 4). 

Action: The use of recycled food contact materials unsuitable for food use was raised. An example of some plastics from electronics being reused by the food industry was given. FSAI will raise this issue with its Chemical Safety team and will ask WA to raise this issue with the relevant EFSA forum. 

Action: Retailers enquired about getting some advance notice of press releases being issued regarding recalls in order for them to react more effectively. LOC will raise this issue again with the FSAI Communication team and invite them to attend the next meeting of the Forum. 

CORRESPONDENCE

Noted: There was no correspondence. 

AOB

Frozen berries

Noted: LOC confirmed that the precautionary advice regarding boiling imported frozen berries was still in place. There was some discussion about a recall of frozen vegetables in the USA due to concerns regarding the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes and the possibility that the vegetables may not be eaten fully cooked. For example, it has been reported that the practice of adding frozen vegetables to smoothies/juices is becoming popular.

Noted: Members were alerted to a bogus email, which appeared to come from Northern Ireland Water, about water being switched off. 

Action: SW raised a query regarding chlorpyrifos and agreed to submit the details by email. EL will then forward query to FSAI Chemical Safety team.

Action: EL will circulate a doodle poll with dates for a meeting in October 2016.