Noel Coonan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House because it is important that he put on record his response to the public's concern about this scare. The Sudan Red 1 scare has reminded the public that it cannot be fully confident that the food it eats possesses no health risk. Unfortunately, food scares are becoming increasingly the norm as larger retailers cut even more corners in order to increase their profits.

Sudan Red 1 is an industrial dye and therefore should not be added to food. The dye is banned in Ireland and across the EU because, as the Minister of State says, it can contribute to an increased risk of cancer. The Minister of State said that all dried, crushed or ground chilli coming into EU member states must be accompanied by a certificate showing that it has been tested and found to be free of Sudan Red 1. Any consignment that does not have this certificate is detained for sampling and analysis. All consignments found to contain Sudan Red 1 must be destroyed. This is the alleged inspection process, however, in light of this recent scare, it is clear that there are questions to be answered by both the UK authorities and UK retailers as to how this batch of Sudan Red 1 managed to make its way into the foodchain.

Other food scares over the years like dioxin in chicken, hormones in beef and foot and mouth disease are all recent food safety breaches which tend to undermine public confidence in the safety of food. This spate of food scares has made food health and safety a major issue and a concern for Irish consumers. More people are suffering from food allergies than before, which are caused by the artificial chemicals and preservatives in the foods eaten on a daily basis. People are also becoming increasingly sensitive to food and individual food ingredients. It is estimated that 2% of adults and 10% of children are affected by food allergies, with as much as 20% of the population reporting food intolerance. Correct food labelling is therefore vital. If food labels do not list all the ingredients and additives, allergy sufferers may have no way of knowing whether the food is safe.

Better labelling and inspections are crucial to many aspects of food safety. Our current system needs a dramatic overhaul. Existing food labelling is confusing, is too diverse and difficult for most people to understand. If one buys a processed item of chicken in any of the major supermarkets and shops, it will claim to be 100% chicken. If one looks at the list of ingredients on the back of the item, the ingredients will consist of 49% chicken, with the remainder being made up of additives, salt and chemicals. People want to know what is in their food, where it is coming from and whether it is healthy.

There are serious problems relating to the current country of origin labelling system. Current measures for the treatment, labelling and distribution of third-country beef coming into the EU are inadequate. Many firms are still reprocessing beef and other meats from Third World countries and selling them on as Irish goods in the Irish market. This practice continues to be a serious problem, particularly regarding meat sold by the catering industry.

According to EU beef labelling regulations, imported beef from non-EU countries can still be sold if it is labelled as non-EU beef even if it does not meet all the requirements set out and has only an indication of where slaughtering took place. An EU Food and Veterinary Office report on Brazilian beef, carried out in May 2004, expressed concerns about issues like animal traceability, vaccinations, animal movement systems and slaughterhouse hygiene. It is disturbing that the FVO found that significant food issues still persist.

If third-country meat is slaughtered or processed in some manner, for example, pork sausages or the addition of breadcrumbs, the processor can label this product as Irish. This does not represent the true origins of the meat. Irish farmers produce a quality product that is traceable from farm to fork and it is recognised that they adhere to extremely high standards. They should benefit from measures that label their meat as 100% born, bred and slaughtered in Ireland. This will have the twofold advantage of protecting Irish farmers and Irish consumers. Consumer research on labelling commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and Food and published in December 2003 revealed that almost 70% of respondents wanted specific country of origin labelling. Irish consumers have the right to know whether beef labelled as Irish is actually beef that was born, bred, slaughtered and processed in Ireland. If it is not, they have the right to know before they make the decision to buy it.

We still have problems with food safety. In 2004, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland served 60 enforcement orders against food businesses that failed to meet its minimum food safety standards. It expressed the view that many businesses continue to fail to comply with food safety requirements and that much more work needs to be done in this area. Recently, a food product that contained traces of bone came into Ireland from Germany via Rotterdam. A disaster was narrowly avoided. The product slipped past the inspectors at the Department of Agriculture and Food, despite assurances and eventually had to be recalled to store.

Samples of feed material taken at two import stores recently were determined to contain traces of bone. The material in question was sugar beet pulp imported from Germany via Rotterdam on two separate shipments between 18 and 22 October 2004. It is worrying that this contaminated feedstuff got as far as it did before the Department's alarm bells sounded. The Department of Agriculture and Food has never fully explained how this feedstuff got past its inspection regime but we cannot allow such lapses to recur. We need an urgent modernisation of our food control laboratory services.

A report entitled The Strategic Development Review of the Health Board Food Control Laboratories, published in 2004, called for a greater unification within the State's food laboratory service. It recommended a move from the fragmented activity of the current system to the establishment of a single service called the food safety laboratory service. State food laboratories would continue to be managed locally but the operational control and direction of service would be under the remit of a senior scientific laboratory co-ordinator in the Health Service Executive. These recommendations have not yet been acted upon but must be if we are to ensure that top quality food safety products are in place.

Having safe food to eat is one thing but the food's quality is another. There are concerns about the effects of food, particularly the levels of obesity in children, arising from the problem that we have become a convenience society and that people tend to use convenience foods most of all. There must be regulation of this area. For example, I used a drive through take-away to buy a chicken burger but when I ate it, I discovered it was bad. There is no one to speak with at such places in these circumstances. A customer may have to deal with a foreigner who does not understand what is being said or the reason for the customer returning. As it turned out in this case, food that had passed its sell by date was still being served to the public. This should not be allowed to happen. There must be greater regulation and inspection of these chains.

Despite accounting for more than 50% of Irish exports, only 4% of the Government's overall research and development expenditure is on food and drink. It is an area that the Government must invest in to satisfy the consumer. All over the world consumers have grown more health conscious. There is a growing number at the top end of the market who wish to eat food that is good for them, such as organically grown meat and vegetables, and that is not tainted with GM, foot and mouth disease, SARS or antibiotics. These consumers want food that is ethically produced and not battery farmed as many chickens are. They want something that is in line with the fair trade scheme for coffee.

Ireland, with its green image and low population density, is ideally placed on the edge of the richest market in the world to capitalise on this opportunity. If there is a scare elsewhere it is an opportunity to be taken advantage of by Irish farmers and producers because theirs is the best food in the world.