Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

3014. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a series of matters (details supplied) in relation to the series of checks being done by the HSE environmental health department on soup runs. [39993/21]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

3288. To ask the Minister for Health if he will work with a cafe (details supplied) to ensure that its entirely voluntary operations of receiving donations of food and distributing the food to homeless persons can continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41265/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3014 and 3288 together.

All food businesses must comply with the requirements of food law that are relevant to the business they operate. Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002 provides the general framework for the operation of food safety law, and defines a food business as “any undertaking, whether for profit or not and whether public or private, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of production, processing and distribution of food.” Therefore, operators distributing food to the homeless are food businesses for the purposes of food safety law.

Food business operators are required by law to notify the HSE (or other FSAI Official Agencies as appropriate) of their intention to carry on a food business. The frequency of inspection of food businesses is based on the risk to public health, with risk being assessed on a number of criteria including the types of foods being produced, processed, and distributed, and the vulnerability of the consumers.

The primary responsibility of the HSE Environmental Health Service (EHS) is the protection of public health. It works under a Service Contract for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to ensure the relevant food legislation is applied as necessary. This work is essential to ensure that food made available for people to eat is safe. Persons accessing homeless services are among the most vulnerable in our community and may be immunocompromised. There is, therefore, risk of serious illness as a result of any potential food borne infection.

The EHS supervises over 45,000 food businesses and endeavours to work with food business operators to encourage an understanding of the legal requirements and to support compliance with the minimum food safety standards regarding structure, operation, safety management systems and staff training and to ensure compliance with food law where non-compliances are found upon inspection.

The HSE has advised that it does not share any inspection details or outcomes with third parties and cannot comment specifically on any particular food business or inspection. The HSE can confirm however, that the Environmental Health Service has neither served, nor threatened to serve, a Closure Order on any voluntary street-based service distributing food to the homeless.

Further information on setting up a food business is available at www.fsai.ie/food_businesses/starting_business.html