New guidelines for donor businesses

IN light of growing awareness of the need to reduce food waste and an increase in food donations to combat food poverty, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have published new guidance documents for donating food businesses to ensure that the highest food safety standards are maintained to protect consumer health.

One in eight people living in Ireland are experiencing food poverty, while food waste in Irish businesses accounts for 750,000 tonnes per year, with 300,000 tonnes coming from retail and catering businesses and over 400,000 tonnes generated by the industrial food processing sector.

Often this food is suitable for redistribution, so many food businesses now offer unsold or non salable food items to charities. The FSAI’s free guidance documents have been created to ensure safety procedures are followed at all times.

According to Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, the growth in awareness and the increase in food donation to reduce food waste over the past number of years is to be welcomed, but that like all operators in the food supply chain whether donating, receiving or handling donated food they must comply with the law in relation to food safety. The aim of these new guidance documents is to make it as easy as possible to comply with food law.

“Both receiving charities and donating food businesses must abide by food safety guidelines at all time so that public health is protected. The same high standards for food safety applied to food that is sold must apply to food that is donated also,” she said.

The FSAI guidelines for businesses donating food and for charities that are receiving it can all be found online at www.fsai.ie.