Minutes of the Food Service Forum - 26th October 2010
TIME: 11.00am
LOCATION: FSAI Board Room
ATTENDEES
- Lisa O’Connor, FSAI, (Chair)
- Nicola Branigan, McDonalds (NB)
- Martina Donoghue, Aramark (MD)
- Dorothy Guina Dornan, FSAI (DGD)
- Helena O’Brien, Catering Management Assoc. (HOB)
SECRETARY
APOLOGIES
- John Coughlan, Masterchefs (JC)
- Carrie De Soye, Euro-Toques (RH)
- Myles Mooney, Panel of Chefs (MM)
- Louise Collins, Rocket Restaurants (LC)
- Sinead Brennan, Subway Limited Ireland (SB)
- Conor O’Kane, Irish Hotels Federation (CO)
- Francis McMahon, Irish Prison Service (FMcM)
- Natasha Kinsella – Irish Hospitality Institute (NK)
- Adrian Cummins, Restaurant Assoc. of Ireland (AC)
- Mary Dowling, Catering Management Assoc. (MD)
- Donnacha Walsh – Irish Prisons Association (DW)
1. Minutes and Matters Arising
The minutes of the last meeting were agreed subject to one amendment.
Voluntary Code on Children’s Nutrition
Action: FSAI to resend this voluntary code to the members.
Rapid Alerts
Action: Members were encouraged to provide the FSAI with their mobile numbers so that they can be notified of food alerts in a timely fashion.
Frying Oil
Action: EL to resend the fact sheet on frying oil to the members.
Management of norovirus (winter vomiting bug) outbreaks
Action: EL to circulate the HPSC documents on management of norovirus outbreaks– one for Hospital settings and the other for the Tourist and Leisure industry.
Guidance on Vacuum Packing
Action: There is very little guidance available on vacuum packing and shelf life of vacuum packaged foods, however, there is a document from the UK Food Standard Agency which specifically addresses the risk of Clostridium botulinum and this will be sent to the members. It was commented upon that there is renewed interest in the topic of vacuum packing due to the Pennington report on the E. coli O157 outbreak in Wales in 2005. In particular, the potential for cross contamination if a business were to use the same machine to vacuum pack ready-to-eat food after packing raw food. DGD elaborated on the Pennington report.
2. Salmonella in Duck Eggs
The members were informed that this outbreak is still ongoing, with 28 cases to date. LO’C provided additional information on the topic and recommended that members read the recent HPSC EPI-Insight article on the subject. Also a guidance document for producers of duck eggs produced by the Department of Agriculture is now on the FSAI website and Bord Bia is looking at a quality assurance scheme for duck eggs. Safefood will also be issuing advice on the matter.
Action: EL to circulate EPI-Insight to the members.
Action: LO’C will contact Safefood to find out information about their forthcoming campaign and revert to the members.
HO’B inquired about ‘Lion’ stamped eggs from Northern Ireland and if standards are the same as in Ireland.
Action: LO’C to look into the Lion quality assurance scheme and establish if there is a difference in terms of food safety between it and the Bord Bia scheme.
3. Salt and Saturated Fat Reduction Programmes
Salt reduction commitments have been updated on the FSAI website and a press release was issued. The FSAI plans to send monthly updates on the issue and these will be back-dated to April and information will be available on the website.
Action: EL will circulate the updates when they are published.
This year FSAI’s primary focus is on trying to get further reductions in processed foods but would encourage the food service sector to continue to keep salt reduction on their agenda. Some members expressed the view that salt reduction would be easy to implement in some catering establishments. NB was of the view that Ireland and the UK are leading the way globally in salt reduction.
Members were informed of an upcoming conference at which Safefood will present research on dietary salt intake, based on urinary sample analysis.
It was noted that the Dept of Health’s National Salt Reduction Steering Committee has not met for some time. FSAI has contacted the Dept about this and discovered that responsibility for salt in the Department of Health and Children has changed.
Saturated Fat
This voluntary initiative is still under preparation and FSAI has written to retailers and IBEC about it. The main focus at the moment is to identify the foods that contribute most to saturated fat intake in Ireland. It was noted that recent research findings have shown low intake levels of trans fat by Irish adults. The FSAI Saturated Fat Reduction campaign will include trans fats to ensure that reformulation does not result in saturated fats being replaced by trans fats.
Discussions about the labelling legislation also raised some issues.
4. Campylobacter in Poultry
LO’C explained how a recent study found that 83% of Irish broilers entering slaughterhouses and 98% of carcasses at the end of slaughter were found to be contaminated with campylobacter. The FSAI’s Scientific Committee has requested a WG to look to develop a national control programme for the Irish poultry supply chain to address this problem. It’s hoped this report will be published in November.
It was clarified that the risk of food poisoning with campylobacter is less to do with under-cooking of poultry meat but more about cross-contamination of ready-to-eat food during preparation of poultry. It was noted that, although a traditional practice, washing of whole birds or chicken meat is a bad practice, as it helps to spread the pathogen around the kitchen. In particular, the concern is that it can spread to surfaces and utensils which will be in contact with ready-to-eat food.
Action: Members to email their colleagues to stress the importance of not washing whole birds or chicken meat.
A discussion followed about traceability of chicken and it was confirmed that a business is can ask a supplier for information that goes back to its supplier as all businesses are required to keep details about suppliers and what they received from them. Members noted that they were in favour of chicken ‘country of origin’ labelling similar to that for beef.
5. Mislabelling of Fish as Cod
FSAI will commence a survey on this in November at both retail and catering level and it will be done using DNA testing.
6. Accuracy of Nutritional Labelling
FSAI recently publish this report which analysed a range of pre-package foods to determine the accuracy of the nutritional labelling. LO’C explained the background and the main points of this report. It was clarified that Ireland does not have its own guidance on nutritional tolerances but many Irish manufacturers use the UK guidelines. On foot of this report FSAI has started to work with industry to develop national guidelines.
Action: EL to circulate this report to the members.
7. Legislation Update
A document prepared by the FSAI was circulated at the meeting and the main issues contained therein were:
- European Communities (Certain Contaminants in Foodstuffs) Regulation 2010 (S.I. No. 218 of 2010.
- European Communities (Food and Feed Hygiene) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 312 of 2010)
- European Communities (Classical Swine Fever) (Restriction on imports from Germany) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 210 of 2010)
- Commission Regulation (EU) No. 271/2010 (OJ L84, p19, 31/03/2010) of 24 March 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No. 889/2008 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007, as regards the organic production logo of the EU.
- European Communities (Marketing Standards) (Crops and Oils) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 153 of 2010)
- European Communities (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 117 of 2010)
- European Communities (Plastics and other materials) (Contact with food) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 301 of 2010)
- Proposed draft regulation on the provision of food information to consumers
Much discussion took place about these updates and particular attention was given to the topic of allergen labelling being addressed under the redrafting of the labelling legislation, referred to as the provision of food information to consumers. It was noted that this draft legislation is proposing that for foods sold loose, including foods provided by a caterer, an indication in a clearly visible manner will be required e.g. in the sales area in a shop or on menus.
Action: FSAI will inquire about likely publication date and likely transition periods for this legislation and revert to the members.
Comments were made on aluminium in fine bakery wares and this was discussed. Members were notified of the recent food additives report which the FSAI published.
Action: EL will circulate the Additives report to the members.
8. FSAI Update
The FSAI merger with IMB and OTC is no longer going ahead.
9. Surveys
The results of the survey on sandwiches were recently published. The bottled water survey is ongoing and all types of bottled water are being surveyed. The following microbiological surveys are planned for next year :
- E. coli O157 and other VTEC in raw burger meat in catering establishments
- Campylobacter spp. in raw poultry meat in retail outlets
- Listeria monocytogenes in smoked fish, cheese and processed meats (as part of an EU wide survey)
The results of the sandwich survey, which found that 29% of pre-packaged sandwiches were stored/display at higher than 5oC, led to discussions about the challenges in maintaining temperatures in display cabinets and freezers. It was commented that it would be very useful for food industry representative groups to liaise with food display fridge manufacturers to address the technical problems.
10. AOB
Seminar on food contact materials
Action: EL to send members details of the upcoming seminar on food contact materials.
Revised Guidance Note 10
This revised guidance note has been circulated and the main changes to the document were highlighted to the members.
Action: EL to send a link to this document to the members.
Safe Catering Packs
Some issues relating to the use of Safe Catering packs in ‘outside premises’ was discussed.
Microbiological criteria
FSAI is preparing a guidance note on Regulation 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria and updating Guidance Note no 3 on microbiological guidelines for ready-to-eat foods sold in retail and catering establishments.
11. Dates of Next Meeting
The dates for the next meetings will be agreed electronically, but they will take place in Feb/March or Sept/October.
Last reviewed: 18/10/2013