Thursday, 19 March 2026
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has today announced the appointments to its new Scientific Committee which will provide expert scientific advice on food safety and nutrition. The Scientific Committee will serve a five-year term and consists of 15 members appointed by the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill T.D. The Scientific Committee is a statutory body under the FSAI Act, 1998 and it focuses on a range of topics that can benefit public health and food safety policies. Its work provides expert scientific analysis on food safety risk assessment, supporting risk management options and nutritional content of food.
Commenting on the appointment of the new Scientific Committee, Dr Wayne Anderson, Director, Food Science and Standards, FSAI, stated that access to the highest calibre of expert scientific advice and knowledge is indispensable for sound decision-making.
“The FSAI is a science-based authority, that is focused on food control activities that are underpinned by scientific risk assessment. The Scientific Committee plays a vital role in providing scientific advice to the FSAI from a multidisciplinary team of expert and independent scientists with a wealth of experience in food safety and nutrition. I would like to thank them for providing their time and expertise freely to benefit the work of the FSAI in protecting consumer health in relation to food and we look forward to working with them over the coming five years.”
The term of the new Scientific Committee is from 2 March 2026 to 1 March 2031, and the full list of members is as follows:
• Dr Geraldine Duffy, Teagasc (Chair)
• Dr Montserrat Gutierrez, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Dr Andrew Flanagan, Health Service Executive
• Ms Ann Marie Part, Health Service Executive
• Prof. Neil Rowan, Technological University of the Shannon
• Prof. Gillian Gardiner, South East Technological University
• Prof. Declan Bolton, Teagasc
• Prof. Jesus Maria Frias Celayeta, Technological University Dublin
• Mr Eoin O’Brien, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Prof. Eileen Gibney, University College Dublin
• Prof. Helene McNulty, Ulster University
• Dr Sinéad McCarthy, Teagasc
• Prof. Fiona Regan, Dublin City University
• Dr Craig Slattery, University College Dublin
• Ms Avril Hobson, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
